Helmut Newton
Thierry Mugler, 1980's
Polaroid
8,5 x 11 cms each
“He loved the little Polaroid camera. It told him what he wanted to know and it allowed him to correct whatever had to be corrected before he used whatever camera...
“He loved the little Polaroid camera. It told him what he wanted to know and it allowed him to correct whatever had to be corrected before he used whatever camera he was using” recounts, June, Helmut’s companion and lifelong wife. Luckily, legendary photographer Helmut Newton saved his test Polaroids, allowing a privileged and rare chance to see the tests from a selection of his greatest shoots over a period of decades. His collection captures the magic of Newton’s photo shoots as only Polaroids can: “They have their own lives” adds June about the polaroids.
In an important sense, Newton’s photographs have aged better than the fashion they were intended to present or illustrate. While styles of clothing may come and go, the philosophical ideas that
Newton expresses through his fashion photography do not age and become clearer with time. Thus the idea that time passes and never returns is expressed in a very subtle way. Moreover, the function of the models becomes paradoxical as they represent something that is permanent while they are initially expected to present fashion that is something temporary.
© Cigdem Mirol
In an important sense, Newton’s photographs have aged better than the fashion they were intended to present or illustrate. While styles of clothing may come and go, the philosophical ideas that
Newton expresses through his fashion photography do not age and become clearer with time. Thus the idea that time passes and never returns is expressed in a very subtle way. Moreover, the function of the models becomes paradoxical as they represent something that is permanent while they are initially expected to present fashion that is something temporary.
© Cigdem Mirol