Be the Photographer

Lee Miller in Man Ray's Studio (1929)

"I would rather take a photograph than be one." Lee Miller

I feel the same way. I really have no interest in being in front of the lens. Speaking of which, this weekend is dedicated to photography. I'm planning on seeing the Robert Polidori exhibit "Versailles" at the Mary Boone Gallery in Chelsea and then heading over to the Brooklyn Bridge Park for Photoville, a photography festival that uses freight containers for exhibition spaces. Can't wait to be inspired. Be sure to check back here and on my Instagram account for coverage. Have a lovely weekend!

Man and Lee

Photo by Michele.

As I mentioned yesterday, I made a trip to Salem, Massachusetts to see an exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. "Man Ray | Lee Miller: Partners in Surrealism" examines the tumultuous relationship between the two artists and shows how they influenced and inspired each other's work.

Photo by Michele.

Lee Miller is a favourite photographer of mine whose work is usually overshadowed (unfairly) by Man Ray's yet it is difficult to discuss her work without mentioning his so having a shared exhibit on the two makes sense. 

In 1929 Lee, an American model bored with just posing for the camera, arrived in Paris ready to embark on a new chapter in her life. The story goes that she tracked down the well-known Man in a bar and announced "My name is Lee Miller, and I’m your new student." Man told her that he didn't have students and besides he was leaving for Biarritz the next day. Lee boldly announced "So am I." Lee became his student and soon took on the roles of muse and lover as well.

Theirs was not an easy relationship; during their three years together they fought often over love and work (there is at least one image in the exhibit that both claimed as theirs) and when Lee left him, a devastated Man continued to include her image in his art for years. Yet their partnership resulted in an amazing body of work that exemplified Surrealism.

"Portrait of Lee Miller" Man Ray (1929)

"Lee Miller" Man Ray (1930)

Many of Man's best works feature Lee as the subject matter and for a good reason. She was simply stunning (Lee was considered by many to be the most beautiful woman in Paris). Lee's influence on Man's work went beyond just portraits of her. In one of his most famous paintings, "Observatory Time: The Lovers," a giant pair of Lee's red lips are seen floating in the sky. And "Indestructible Object" is a metronome featuring a photograph of Lee's eye whose instructions state it should be destroyed with a hammer (the one on display at the exhibit is a replica; art students took Man Ray for his word and destroyed the original in 1957).

"Rat Tails" Lee Miller (1930)

"Untitled" (Exploding Hand)" Lee Miller (1930)

I do like Man's work but if anything, this exhibit justified for me why I prefer Lee's. Whereas Man worked in the studio, Lee went out and found her subject matter in the street. She was able to look at common things like a shop door or a group of rats and give them a surrealist touch. Her photographs seem more real to me, which is probably why Lee made such a great photojournalist later during the war.

Man Ray and Lee Miller later in life.

Although I loved all of the photographs, perhaps my favourite piece in the exhibit was a letter Man wrote to Lee right before his death. It ends, "I am pinned down in my little retreat— can not walk and my doctor seems to try out all the pills on the market to which I am completely allergic. But not to my loves— like you. I mean I love you.” 

Photo by Michele.

The exhibit is at the Peabody Essex Museum through December 4, 2011.

Lipstick Obsessed

"Observatory Time: The Lovers" Man Ray (1936). Otherwise known as Lee Miller's lips.

Mrs. Parker loves her lipstick. In fact, I feel awkward if I leave the house without it (add referring to myself in the third person as making me feel awkward as well). This obsession, if you will, means that I have a large collection of lipsticks and glosses in a variety of colors. Sometimes, when I’ve fallen in love with one, I’ve bought multiplies in case the color is discontinued (note to MAC, please bring back Marrakesh). Trips to the UK used to involve the purchasing of large quantities of Boots No 7 lipsticks until they became available in the States. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I consider myself to be a bit of a lipstick expert. And if pressed to name my favourite lipstick brand, I would answer Lipstick Queen.

Created by the brilliant Poppy King, Lipstick Queen is simply one of the best lipstick brands I have ever worn (perhaps even the best). From its perfect colours to its cool packaging, Lipstick Queen is my go to for lipstick. The ten main shades come in two choices, Saint or Sinner. Saint is all about shimmer and shine while Sinner is dark and matte. Of all the colours, Rust Sinner is my favourite. When I got a chance to meet Poppy at an event last year I gushed so much to her about my love of Rust Sinner I'm afraid she must have thought me a bit mad.

A sort of brownish red, Rust Sinner's rich pigment gives me perfect bee-stung lips while complimenting my complexion like no other lipstick does. Its thick texture is probably as close as I'll ever come to knowing what lipstick felt like in the 1920s and always makes me feel like I'm wearing a bit of flapper glam. When I recently had to take new passport photos, I made sure that I was wearing my favourite colour (after all, custom agents and I will have to look at that same photo for the next ten years). 

So do go out and try Lipstick Queen. I'm sure there's a perfect colour waiting for you. And if any of you dear readers have a favourite lipstick I'd love to hear all about it.

Chaos and Classicism

 "Woman in White" Pablo Picasso (1923)

New Year’s day was spent walking round and round the Guggenheim, taking in the exhibit “Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936.”

The exhibit focuses on European artists who, traumatized by World War I, rejected avant-garde movements and turned to classicism for order and an idealized past. Their need to portray bodies as whole (a reaction to the maiming seen in the war) and to draw more traditional lines like those found in Greek and Roman art did bring about more structure but everything turned ugly in the end when fascism appropriated the ideology for its own nefarious agenda.

 "On the Balcony" Georg Schrimpf (1929)

Few of the works are great yet there are some standouts—the handful of Picassos (I’ve always loved “The Woman in White”) are lovely as is the calming “Women on the Balcony” by Georg Schrimpf. I also enjoyed watching a clip from Cocteau’s The Blood of a Poet in which photographer Lee Miller is cast as a statue. Toward the end of the exhibit are a handful of Mussolini busts—a chilling reminder of what the period finished with—dictators and more death.

A still from The Blood of a Poet (1930)

“Chaos and Classicism” closes January 9. If you can't make the exhibit, you should still visit the Guggenheim. It's not often that one gets to walk around in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.