Thursday, June 18, 2009

Horst P. Horst

This photo was on the cover of a small mailer/catalogue sent out by Saks Fifth Avenue in 1983 pairing fragrances with select Horst P. Horst photos. If you don't know Horst, he was a prominent 20th century photographer whose subjects included Vogue fashion shoots and celebrities including Coco Chanel, Wallis Simpson and Greta Garbo. His high-contrast compositions are breathtaking and no one documented the deco age better than Horst.
Well, let me tell you. When I received this little booklet in 1983, I was thrilled because it was perfect for my high school art class; each dramatic photo lent itself perfectly to a b&w charcoal rendition. I think I might still have the booklet in storage but I haven't been able to locate online my favorite Horst photo of a dark haired, long locked model's profile next to a marble horse bust; the intricacies of her draped Missoni shawl took me forever to get exact. Luckily, I still have the original charcoal I created: I had gifted it to my aunt, who very graciously gave it back to me for sentimental reasons. Thanks, Auntie Jo!