Annie Leibovitz

Claire Anderson8th Grade Artist Project

Visual Statistics

• Born 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut

• Female• American• Leibovitz is the third of

six children. Her mother, Marilyn Leibovitz, was a modern dance instructor; her father, Sam Leibovitz, was a lieutenant in the U.S. air force

Personal Background

• Father was in the Vietnam War in the U.S. air force• Went to the San Francisco Art Institute as a painting major, intent on being an art

teacher• Went on a trip with her mother to Japan and this is where she discovered her love

for photography, she also took a summer workshop.• In 1970, Leibovitz approached Jann Wenner, founding editor of Rolling Stone, she

was given her first assignment to shoot John Lennon. This was made the cover of the January 21, 1971 issue.

• Two years later, she was awarded the position as Rolling Stone chief photographer.

• In 1975, Leibovitz then toured with the band, The Rolling Stones. She got addicted to drugs and later entered a rehab facility. “People always talk about the soul of the sitter [in a photograph], but the photographer has a soul, too. And I almost lost it.” –Leibovitz, Annie

• In 1980, She was sent to photograph John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Only hours later, Lennon was shot dead.

• 1983 Annie joined Vanity Fair, She shot many celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt, the George W. Bush Cabinet, ect.

Key Historical Events• Anti-war movement and Vietnam War protests. For

seven years after the Kent State shootings, many liberals, for instance, struggled for accountability for the deaths and injuries of 1970, not because of the economic and political ramifications of the event perceived by radicals, but from a deep sense that human rights on that occasion had been denied.

• The Vietnam War. Her father was in the U.S. air force. This caused them to move around a lot giving her imagination and wider horizons.

• The culture of Rolling Stone magazine and their focus on rock n’ roll.

Influences of the Art World

• 1991 photo of pregnant Demi Moore changed public opinion about showing or hiding one’s pregnancy

• Rolling Stones and the Rock n’ roll world had an enormous influence on her.

• Photographers such as Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson

Stylistic Traits

• Leibovitz collaborates the photographer and the subject. She makes a deep connection between them.

• Mood and Tone - She uses emotional aspects through her pieces whether they may be happy, despair, lonely, ect. They leave great impact on the viewer and effects how they see the photograph.

• Perspective – She uses her camera to take photographs through many different views. From beneath, from straight above, at an angle, up close, far away, ect.

• Texture – Leibovitz takes simple objects or people and looks deeper at them. From each hair, to each wrinkle, to each speck of concrete, you can see every detail.

• Color – She uses color to convey many different ideas. For example, in the shot of Whoopi Goldberg, the contrast between her skin and the tub of milk she is jumping out of.

Kate Moss(2009)Texture – The texture of the dress makes the picture come alive. The texture of the skirt is contrasted against the walls in the back round and the rug on the floor.Shape – The shape of the skirt and the silhouette of her body and the dress gives the picture a good balance and embodiment.Color – the light color of the dress contrasts with the red couch and brown carpet and walls. Lighting – The lighting in the photo attracts and focuses your attention towards her face and the skirt of the dress.

Fallen Bicycle of Teenage

Boy Just Killed by a Sniper/ Bloody Bicycle(1994)Mood and Tone – This photo was take during a war in Sarajevo. This mood of this photograph is deeply sad and haunting. The absent rider is the shocking reminder that the circumstances of death are the ultimate unpredictability of life. Color - What also makes us think about this photo is the lack of color. This photograph is shot in black and white. Do pictures of war need to be nasty for us to feel, to get the point? There is no shocking red blood.Balance – The bicycle to the right and the blood stains to the left make this photograph harmonize. Emphasis - The simplicity of the blood and bicycle give great impact on the veiwer.

Willie Nelson(2001)Texture – You can see every detail of Nelson. Every hair and every wrinkle is visible. This makes this 2-dimensional photograph look almost 3-dimensional. It makes the picture come alive.Perspective – This photo is taken as an up close portrait of the side veiw of Willie Nelson’s face. This makes the photo more intriguing than if it was straight on.Depth Of Field – The foreground is more in focus than the backround. This makes your eye’s focus in more on the foreground and isolates it.Tone – The contrast of the details being very white to the blacks and the grays in between also add a feel of 3-dimension.

Original Artwork

• Mood & Tone – The photographs that I have taken use emotion to convey ideas just like Annie Leibovitz’s artwork.

• Texture – In my photographs, the texture of hair, concrete, ect. Is used to add depth to the pictures.

• Color – Color is used my photographs to add emphasis to the pictures.

• Perspective – Many different views are shown throughout these pictures. They add meaning and interest to the photographs.

Conclusion

“The camera gave you this license to walk around, and you’d be alone in the world but, you know you were there with a purpose”Annie Leibovitz created some of the most enduring images throughout this time period. She is definitely a legendary photography and will be remembered for a long while.

Thanks, Questions?