Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Exhibition - Stripping Girls (2000)

Marlene Dumas is a South African painter who is known for her contemporary ideas of racial, sexual, and social identity in which she expresses through her paintings. Between the years 1998 and 2000, Corbijn took his camera lens away from the musicians and actors and collaborated with Dumas in a new direction on something that he had never done before.

I think this quote says everything.
Corbijn: I'm looking for the person behind the surface

Home - 1999

Soul - 1999

Ingrid - 1999

Krisztina - 1999

I think this was a great idea for a projec and exhibitiont. The second two pictures show us that these women are the same as any other woman walking down the street, however they are in a business where there work is seen as crude and explicit, and are treated like objects.

Corbijn generally likes to picture his subject in their normal and comfortable surroundings, whether it's film stars, musicians or other celebrities. He does the same then with these women brilliantly in this exhibition, showing us a normal side to the person and taking them out of the life that we would usually associate them with.


The exhibition took place in the following venues in 2000:
Theater Instituut, Amsterdam, Holland
S.M.A.K, Ghent, Belgium
Institut Neerlandais, Paris, France
Lipanje Puntin, Artecontemporanea, Trieste, Italy

For more images check out this website: http://www.lipanjepuntin.com/desc.php?id_autore=30 

Monday, November 29, 2010

Exhibition - Ludwig Museum (iii)

One whole room was dedicated to Depeche Mode at the Ludwig Museum on this exhibition. Here are some pictures of the band members - 23rd June:


Martin Gore, Anton Corbijn & Andrew Fletcher
http://photo.media.daum.net/foreign/view.html?cateid=1007&newsid=20090624015305682

Gore & Fletcher


http://www.museum.hu/museum/temporary_en.php?IDT=8464&ID=47





Ludwig Museum

Anton Corbijn
Work

April 29 - July 5, 2009
H-1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell u. 1.
Phone (36 1) 555 3444
Fax: (36 1) 555 3458

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Exhibition - Ludwig Museum (ii)

Pictures that featured in Budapest 2009

Johnny Depp - Los Angeles 1998
http://www.corbijn.co.uk/

Sean Penn - San Anselmo 1999
http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/6697

Kylie Minogue - London 1999
http://www.corbijn.co.uk/

I like the blue tone that Corbijn uses for these images. As if it's giving off this cold mysterious vibe. Of course he also does this with his famous black & white images, and also brown.

Exhibition - Ludwig Museum (i)

This exhibition ran in Budapest, Hungary from 29th April - 5th July 2009.
It featured pictures that spanned over thirty years of Corbijn's work. Mainly portraits on show, there was also video footage that was shown



http://www.museum.hu/museum/temporary_en.php?IDT=8464&ID=47


Film - Control

I am a huge movie buff, and that is part of the reason Corbijn's work appeals to me. Directing movies attracts me even more to his photography and the way his vision is expressed on to the silver screen.
In 2007, Corbijn would take the directors role in his first feature film. Corbijn stresses the point he does not like the term 'biopic', however this is about the life and death of Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis. The film is based on the book 'Touching from a Distance' by Curtis' wife Deborah Curtis.







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c2_B_cWK_M



BEST FILM - Shockwaves NME Awards 2008

Corbijn: "When I came to England there were two names that meant something to me - NME and Joy Division, and I managed to work with both of them"
http://www.virginmedia.com/music/pictures/awards/nme-awards-2008.php?ssid=6


Here is a link to NME. A few words from Corbijn on the reaction of the film.
http://www.nme.com/news/nme-awards/34796

Music Video - Nirvana

In 1993, grunge band Nirvana were one of the biggest bands on the music scene. Corbijn signed up to direct the music video for the song 'Heart Shaped Box' that featured on their final studio album In Utero. The video went on to win two MTV Awards in 1994 - best art direction and best alternative video.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6P0SitRwy8

A few favourites

These images jumped out at me when I first saw them. I explained why below:

Nicholas Cage - Los Angeles 1998
I really like this portrait shot. Cage looks a strong and dominant figure in this image and for some reason I think the raw material used to make the bike shows this about him. Also like the brown effect that Corbijn used.

 Massive Attack - London 1998
The thing that strikes me about this image is that I get the feeling that 3D, (centre) is missing something that's happened out of shot, as he is looking directly at the camera. Corbijn of course has directed them how to pose in this way, however it also gives the impression that each member is coming from different music backgrounds with their own musical influence and talent, and the three or as it is two now, despite different influences collaborate so well. Maybe that says something considering Mushroom (left) split from the band. Also are we supposed to read anything from the arrow pointing out 3D?

 Depeche Mode - Marrakech 1996
I love the grainy effect to this coloured image. I see a lot of Corbijn's black and white images that have the same effect, however I didn't ever think it would look good in colour, well I got that one wrong. I also like the way Gahan, our primary character at the front of the shot is out of focus, and the rest of the band are in focus in the background.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Which do you prefer?

Here is the song 'My Friends' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There are 2 versions of this video. The first was directed by Corbijn which lead singer of the band Anthony Kiedis later said he didn't like as it wasn't realistic.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vwftjIxPgA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kT5w27YxyI

Check out the poll to the right of the screen - all answers appreciated!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel

Check out this album cover designed by Corbijn from 2005. I also included some comments below:

Album art

The character on the album cover is a little creature called "Tubby Goth" (by the band) and "Mister Feathers" (by the label, the webmaster and the fans.) The cover design by Anton Corbijn is a tip of the hat to a famous still photograph of The Cure's Robert Smith circa "Boys Don't Cry".
http://www.vwire.com/rel/v2_viewupc.php?storenr=70&upc=09362493482

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Music Video - Depeche Mode

In 1983, Corbijn directed his first music video for the song 'Beatbox' by Art of Noise. That lead to directing music videos for Echo and the Bunnymen in 1984 and Depeche Mode in 86 among others.

Here is the song 'Enjoy the Silence' by Depeche Mode, directed by Corbijn in 1990.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSKrC7dGcY

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Photography 1986 - The Joshua Tree

Corbijn had built up a good relationship with U2 and in1986 they asked him to look for locations in north America that would represent a theme where the desert met civilisation. In December that same year, Corbijn brought U2 to Death Valley, California for a three day shoot. It was here that Corbijn told Bono of the significance of the Joshua Tree. With that Bono used this name for the title of their fifth studio album.

Corbijn useed a panoramic camera for these images. If you look closely at the second image, the band are slightly out of focus with the background in focus. Corbijn had never used a panoramic camera before, and was not familiar on how to use it. Excellent images though particularly the first. I like the way the band are positioned to the left of the frame showing the vast desert in the background.




http://www.corbijn.co.uk/page_photo_black_u2.htm

Book
Corbijn, A. Werk

Monday, November 22, 2010

Photography 1980s - U2

Since the mid 1980s, Corbijn has maintained a great relationship with Irish rock band U2. Here is one of his earlier pictures of the band which features in one of Corbijn's books - Werk.

Sweden 1982


Friday, November 19, 2010

Photography 1970s & 1980s

From Corbijn's book Werk, here are some of his black and white pictures of well known musicians from the 70's and 80's.

Corbijn: In the 70s and 80s I photographed man and his environment. I would encounter, say, John Martyn or Steely Dan or David Bowie and more or less take the photos where I met them. I call it my period of "looking in from the outside". I hardly ever prepared, as I didn't trust my own ideas, didn't bring lights or an assistant, and would rely completely on the location of our meeting. A lot of intuitive and nervous decisions, but somehow it worked most of the time.

Steely Dan - Amsterdam 1976
http://212.178.99.195/SteelyDanDatabase/index.htm

David Bowie - Chicago 1980
http://www.museum.hu/museum/temporary_en.php?IDT=8464&ID=47

Elvis Costello - Amsterdam 1977

John Martyn - Heathfield 1978

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Photography 1980s - NME

Southern Death Cult
Some of Corbijn's early work for NME in 1982
I really like these images. It gives the impression that the only available light is that of the window.
I also love the grainy effect that Corbijn brings to his images. It gives them this real raw feeling.

Ian Astbury


The Band


http://thearchive.free.fr/arch-sdeathcult.htm

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Photography 1980s - Joy Division

http://badcoverversion.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/anton-corbijn-and-the-curse-of-death/

When bands like the Sex Pistols and the Clash were forming in the mid 70's, Ian Curtis along with Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook formed the band Joy Division. They would become one of the first UK music acts that Corbijn would photograph.

Also Check out this interview with Corbijn: http://www.screenwize.com/archives/34

Monday, November 15, 2010

Self Portrait - anton z.


http://www.corbijn.co.uk/

Self Portrait - anton v.


http://www.corbijn.co.uk/

Biography - (iii)

Although the subject of Corbijn's work is largely associated with music and film, he does not consider himself a rock photographer. He is a realist. His images seem to hold a sense of mystery behind them, of a person who we think we know so well.

Music was clearly a major passion in Corbijn's life. History shows this after it was his pictures of a concert that were featured in a magazine in 1972, when one of the bands at the gig put them forward. After his move to the UK in 1979, he started working for the New Musical Express, where he worked as their main photographer for five years. Portrait photography would become a speciality of Corbijn's with well known faces from the celebrity world being his subject matter. Everyone from musicians to actors would put themselves in front of Corbijn's lens.

Corbijn has worked for the biggest magazines in the business, from music giants Rolling Stone to the lifestyle and fashion of Vogue.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Biography - (ii)

Strijen, Netherlands



http://maps.google.com/

Biography - (i)

Corbijn was born in 1955 in a town called Strijen, which is located in the Netherlands. Right from the start it seemed music would be a huge influence in his photographic career, as he began taking pictures of open air concerts in the early 1970's. In 1979 it was British musical acts such as Joy Division and Public Image Limited that turned the head of Corbijn, in which he would make the city of London his new home. These bands were looking for a photographer who could expose a more humane image about them.

Corbijn, A. 33 Still Lives

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Anton Corbijn


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668232,00.html

The Beginning - (ii)

Corbijn has photographed some of the biggest and most respected musicians on the planet. Tom Waits, David Bowie, Miles Davis and Elvis Costello to name a few. Photographing and designing musical album covers for The Rolling Stones, U2, Depeche Mode, Metallica and R.E.M.
Not only has Corbijn made an impact in the photography world, his vision has helped him become a success in music videos and feature films.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Beginning - (i)

In the north of the Netherlands you'll find a city named Groningen. In this city sometime during the mid to late 1970's, the band 'Herman Brood and His Wild Romance' were playing a gig at a cafe. During this gig and Brood's gigs that followed, a photographer was in the background on the road to building a high profile career in music and film photography. That photographer was Anton Corbijn.