Sunday, June 13, 2010

Unseen Bourdin



When I first saw Guy Bourdin’s work, I immediately asked myself, “wow, photography from the pre-Photoshop era with layers? How did he do it so well?” perhaps I should leave that one to the Discovery channel. What stands out about Bourdin’s work is his minimalistic approach. I find it very hard to identify with today’s photography regarding what matters most i.e. the subject, the colours, and the message, and to me photography is more than taking pictures of burning houses and displaying them at a gallery somewhere. By looking at Bourdin’s work you’ll notice a creative dimension to his photography. 


During his career, Guy Bourdin refused to display his work at formal exhibitions; he instead opted to feature some of his famous work in publications such as the French Vogue, British Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. It seems as though his photography is made to shock, and you do feel a sense of rebellion portrayed through his work. His quick rise to fashion photography fame  came in 1955 when he captured haute couture models alongside butchered cow heads. He took fashion photography and made it a platform for voicing out social issues (portrayal of women, religion, sex, equality). Guy Bourdin was way ahead of his time.