ROSE VIRGO ARCHIVES Celebrates the Female Form: Our Favourite Fashion Photographers
By Isabella Moulton
Fashion photographers have immense power – to show the world through their lens.. to capture a moment in time through their vision.. At Rose Virgo Archives we are showcasing three of our favourite fashion photographers, who present femininity in beautifully varying perspectives.
The allure of being a woman stems from the contradictions that exist within us: we may be gentle and still strong, erotic while remaining pure, wild and yet very wise. Great photographers have the power to bring– these often hidden elements– to the surface, so that the viewer may experience the secret essence of femininity, firsthand. And so, let us begin..
Why we love him: Uniquely celebrates the nude female form… far from weak and vulnerable, under his direction women instead become powerful… fierce masculine energy and strong body language create an image with strong eroticism, but lacking vulgarity.
Subtle provocation, unconventionality, androgyny, elegance: This is Helmut Newton. Those women photographed by Newton challenge us… They make us question how we view the female form and what it represents to ourselves, and on a greater scale, society. The nude woman was historically seen as a vulnerable female representation.. she was in a sense ripe for the picking… an image of purity and fertility.. Newton transformed our preconceived notions so that we would view the female nude as something else entirely.. as something powerful. Women were shown to be proud of their bodies.. of their feminine strength.
Yes themes of desires and perversions remained ever present in his work, but a deeper commentary always lingered beneath the surface. It is no surprise that it was a woman who inspired his entire career: his wife and muse June Newton (better known as Alice Springs). While Newton may be known as a fashion photographer, the everpresent depth of his work reminds the audience that there is a lot more behind the nude, than simply flesh…
Steven Meisel
Why we love him: Striking visual imagery used to comment on important issues in society; remains unafraid to shoot taboo subjects through his lens.
Steven Meisel has been labelled one of fashion’s most controversial modern fashion photographers for good reason. Working closely with US and Italian Vogue, he has shot some of the most thought provoking and controversial fashion campaigns in recent years: The all black issue, the paparazzi one, the one poking fun at celebrities, “makeover madness” commenting on plastic surgery in the fashion world, and the issue posing supermodels as psych ward patients..
Of his work, Meisel once commented: “My favourites are the ones that allow me to say something… the ones that I have a minute to think about; all the ones that are the most controversial in fact. But it’s not because they are controversial that I like them, but because they say a little more than just a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress. I love that too, but to try and say something is also my goal.”
Meisel also discovered a number of now famous supermodels, makeup artists and designers, including Ross Van Der Heide, Naomi Campbell, François Nars, Christy Turlington, Laura Mercier and Linda Evangelista. His photographs capture the true essence of a woman, while leaving a lasting impression on all who have the pleasure of gazing upon them.
Henrik Purienne
Why we love him: Photographs the woman of our modern age… one who owns her femininity, sexuality and youth.
In his truest essence, Purienne is a nude purist. He doesn’t use elaborate props or clothing to adorn his subjects…He captures them almost untouched.. without makeup or done hair, doing everyday activities, albeit often semi-nude. Though always beautiful, his subjects are not normally famous celebrities.. they are “regular people” – his girlfriends or friends. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't work with a production team or set shooting schedule; instead, he prefers to capture his photographs naturally and simply.
In an interview with WESTWOOD WESTWOOD, Purienne was asked "What is it about the female form that inspires you?” He answered: "Ultimate power. In alluring packaging." Similarly, when asked about the overall theme of his photographs, he replied: "Women." The variation is allegedly "A parallel universe of natural beauty and escapism.”
Next to women, water plays a central theme in many of his photographs, with pools or beaches often visible in the background. Purienne believes “Water is the source of all life. Without it there is only sorrow.” A beautiful view which translates effervescently into his photographs.
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