PROJECT: CECIL BEATON

As I have said in previous posts, I am currently in the first year of Fashion Communication and Promotion and although this year doesn't really count we still have mots of work to do outside classes.

One of my last works was related to concepts and we had to do a visual analysis of a fashion photograph that we were given randomly. I really liked my photograph, it was called Models In Charles James Gowns and it was taken by Cecil Beaton in New York, 1948. His work fascinates me in a way that just a few artists can do.

Bellow you can see the photo that was given to me:

“Photographic images play a key role in defining global fashion culture ... They are seen by many as the driving force behind the fashion system.”

This is a photograph taken by Cecil Beaton, a legendary fashion and war photographer. The photo looks so theatrical and pure because he used to design the sets and costumes for films like My Fair Lady (1964), Gigi (1958) and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and it had obviously a big influence on his work as a photographer.

In the photograph it is possible to see eight women very well dressed in a hall, that apparently do not know that are being photographed. Some of them are sitting while others are standing.

Several activities are happening at the same time: the woman in a brown gown is looking at a clock, probably checking the time while looking at the mirror. The woman in a baby blue and yellow dress is looking at a mirror too, and it seems to me that she is fixing her hair and her make- up. Two pairs of women look like clones. Two of them are listening very attentive the others talking and showing their necklaces. If we look closely at just these two pairs, we can see that the similarities are disconcerting. There are two more women, one in a blue dress and the other in a baby pink, looking at the one that is fixing her hair in the mirror. They are all having a cup of tea, but it seems that is only for appearences since none of them are actually drinking it.

They all seem to have busy lives, the type of women that does not have a free minute in her day. It is certain that they belong to the high society due to what they are wearing, the adorments they have in their body, the way their hair is styled and, most important, the way they behave and the place where they are at.

The charming hall has a big silver chandelier with diamonds that illuminates not only the women but the furnishings. We can see white panelled walls, a carpet that looks like Persian, big mirrors, and neoclassic furniture.

The colours used in this photograph are mainly pastel tones and sporadically gold and silver.

While the pastels evoke relaxation and are considered relieving and soothing, the gold and the silver are equated with sophistication, luxury, quality and can create peace.

The vertical lines in the wall make it easier to have a sense of the rest and the colour growns contrast with the white background.

There is obviously a repetition in the models and in what they are wearing. They are all copies of each other: the way they dress and how they portray themselves. Even the environment is very dull.

Although this is a photograph it reminds me of a neoclassical painting, mainly because the use of cool colors and the elimination of perspectives were widely used resources on this type of paintings. Neoclassicism was an artistic movement that emerged in Europe around 1750 and valued simplicity and aesthetic purity in contrast to the embellishments and complexities of Baroque and Rococo Art.

When looking at this for the first time, names like Anna Karenina, Great Gatsby and Little Women came to my mind. The first two because of the vestments and the whole fragile environment. It also reminded me of Little Women due to the fact that although I find the women in the photograph impotent, demure and lost in a men’s world I can also see potential for them to be powerful and more free.

This photograph has a high key composition, creating a feeling of lightness and delicate subjects, a normal tone, the straight lines suggest stability and the gowns in this photo have lots of contrast, helping them to stand out against the walls. Volume is created by the colours of the dresses and the position of them.

For me this women look bored, they aspire to be more but instead they are in their perfect clothes, with their perfect smiles having a decent conversation. Their faces make it look like it is just another day in their lives, like they are used to it.

I noticed that the women are a second plan, what stands out are the dresses. This is not a coincidence since not one of them is looking at the camera, is like they are irrelevant and useless. Is this because they actually feel like that?

They look like sculptures or porcelain dolls and that really disturbs me. It reminds me of women in the XIX century. Their situation was of extreme submission, they were just seen as a beautiful object to satisfy society.

Looking at the photograph, it also reminds me a waiting room for a casting. I think it is because they all seem very self- centered and although the photograph gives the viewer a sense of tranquility, when looking at it closely, it also looks like there is a lot more happening in their heads than what appears.

It was a first time for me describing a photograph but I really appreciated it, I ended up discovering a lot more than I thought I would just by looking at the details. I will probably have from now on, every month, a visual analysis of a photograph chosen by me.

Don't forget to take a look at my Tumblr. I update it daily. http://carlota-b-lopez.tumblr.com

(C.L)

#Photography #Projects #Fashion