An article about the emergence of the " 80's " aesthetic by Stephanie Amata.
The late 20th century was the turning point for
photography. It was when photography was actually considered an art and a
skill. With the breakthrough of photography came the breakthrough of new
visually stimulating art that the world had never seen. Photography in the 80’s
also brought about the emergence of digital photography so it was the peak for
work that shocked and excited people. There are a few photographers who I think
gave the 80’s its general image and look, a few to mention, the legend himself
Andy Warhol; his tutee, David LaChapelle who still stuns the fashion world and the ground-breaking feminist artist Cindy Sherman.
Andy Warhol (August 6,
1928- February 22, 1987)
David LaChapelle (March
11, 1963)
Newcomer to the photography world at that time, LaChapelle was taken
under the wing of legend Andy Warhol shortly before his death and left
LaChapelle with one philosophy: make everyone look good. LaChapelle clearly
kept to that philosophy as his images, which pop with colour and life, capture
his subjects in the most glamorous and complimentary way. His celebrity
portraits are able to single-handedly capture his essence and also his
subject’s essence. He was responsible for redefining Britney Spears’ image from
sweet downtown girl to sexy pop star with his set of images of her for the
Rolling Stone magazine in 1999. The images featured 17-year old Britney Spears in
mostly her underwear or a little more than that with childhood symbolism in the
frame clearly connoting the fact that she’s morphing into a sex symbol. It was
a very "Lolita" style shoot. This cover shoot caused so much controversy simply
because it gave her a new image that the media did not associate her with
calling it “shocking” and “too mature”. It represented her as a sex symbol,
which Hollywood isn’t unfamiliar with but still managed to shock and shake the
mainstream media justly conveying the power of LaChapelle: stun and shock.
Cindy Sherman (January 19, 1954)
Iconoclast
Cindy Sherman, set the art world ablaze and had critics running helter-skelter with
her series, ‘Untitled Film Stills’ (1977)-1980). It is her most relevant work and has boggled the minds of critics since. It features 69 portraits of her "chameleonising" self as different representations of women in media from American film noir to Italian Neorealism. It is very often associated with feminist artistry. The images allow their viewers to easily identify the character through her use of costume, makeup, props and her facial expressions. There is a clear sense of narrative and persona but the viewers are left with the responsibility of deciding for themselves what is happening with the character or what is going to happen to them. There are a lot of reasons that critics have come up with as to why she created this piece. As an art lover and feminist myself, I believe the series is simply reflective. As a woman, she is conscious of the representation of women in the media and is re-representing and reiterating them in the convention that is ever so commonly used in the phallocratic media world. Although she doesn't seem to reflect this same fervour in her interviews, I still believe she is what I call and "unintentional feminist" or is she not?
These are some of the photographers who I think defined pop culture
in the 80’s and made a significant contribution to the art-photography world
and are continuing to. Their mark will forever be embedded on the metaphorical
hall of fame for artistry and creativity. These are faces of the 80’s.
-Steph
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