2. Biography
Born in New Jersey in1917
Attended the Philadelphia Museum School, where he studied under
AlexeyBrodovitch
In 1937, a few of his painting were published in Harper’s Bazaar
1940-1941 he worked as the advertising director for Saks Fifth
Avenue.
After he spent time in Mexico painting he was hired by Vogue
magazine to create cover illustrations as well as photographing the
covers and editorial illustrations for articles inside the magazine.
In 1950, he married his favorite model to photograph, Lisa
Fonssagrives, with whom he founded his studio with in 1953.
They had one son who is named Tom. Lisa Fonssagrives, his wife,
died in 1992.
3. Penn’s Work
Why it’s Important
His work did much to define post-war notions of feminine
chic and glamour, which is what became best known for.
In his fashion and portrait photography, Penn preferred to
use a neutral backdrop of gray or white seamless paper
Or he would use architecturally constructed sets which
created striking effects with slanted, tilting , diving
diagonals, and perspectives that would tip upwards.
His work was also important because it showed the balance
of form and carefully adjusted composition, with shades of
light and tone, presenting the subject as emotionally neutral
or always kept at a distance emotionally and
psychologically.
4. Influence
Who Influenced Penn : Who Penn Influenced:
Penn brought an
Penn has decided to
photograph cigarette unprecedented sense
butts, crumpled of drama to his
wrappers, the torsos of portraits driving the
plump artists' viewer's focus onto
models, and most the person and their
recently, still lifes of
expression which
skulls, bones, and
influenced many
construction
photographers to
materials, which all
follow in his foot steps
seem very
and their techniques
unfashionable, but have
stillinfluenced Penn and
is photography.
5. Critical Analysis
by an art historian: by me:
“Throughout his I like his work because
it’s not all the same,
career, IrvingPenn
and there are different
has offset the
angles and tones used
flawless chic of his
in his photographs. He
fashion photographs also keeps his
with work that backgrounds simple so
focuses on decidedly that you can see the
unfashionable complicityinhis subject,
things” and their facial
decisions if it’s a
-Vince Aletti
portrait.
Artforum International
7. Citation:
^Getty Acquires Irving Penn's Most Extensive Work,
ARTINFO, February 7, 2008,
<http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/26765/getty-
acquires-irving-penns-most-extensive-work/>. Retrieved
on 11 March 2009
http://www.masters-of-
photography.com/images/full/penn/penn_findings.jpg.Re
trieved on March 11 2009.
