In 1979, Avedon decided to take a commission that was quite far removed from his usual fashion and portrait photography work. He was tasked to capture his view of the American West. Avedon was at the time feeling claustrophobic about his own work and the narartive of his photographs and was intrigued by the challenge. Avedon would spend the next six years travelling to hundreds of twons across 17 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming—and even, (apparently accidentally) up into Canada. He conducted over 700 sittings, exposing nearly 17,000 sheets of film through his large-format camera. Far removed from the celebrities, models, and politicians he usually photographed, Avedon’s subjects were the everyday people of the American West, many of whom were dealing with hardship and desolation. His signature style, however didnt change, posing the subjects against a make-shift white backdrop that removed any reference to place, focusing instead on the individuality of each person. Not styled, not posed and usually not even cleaned. Nearly 50 years later, the 124 photographs of 'In the American West' remain some of the most important and influential portraits of the 20th century.
Title: In The American West Publisher: Abrams Language: English Publication Date: 1994 Binding: Softcover Book Condition: Great Dust Jacket Condition: N/A Edition: Fourth Printing Edition Run: N/A Size: 36 x 28 cm Pages: 172
