Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Arts and Culture

Steichen's photograph of women aboard a yacht shows flowing style Photo: Truity1967 / Flickr

Photography is often considered the easiest of all artistic professions. Before today's technology, which makes it possible to snap hundreds of shots, photography was difficult and expensive. A photographer who revolutionized the field is Edward Steichen (1879-1973).

Currently featured at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is the exhibit Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, The Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937, showcasing more than 200 works. In 1923, Steichen was offered the job of chief photographer at Vanity Fair and Vogue by Condé Nast. Steichen took thousands of photos for the magazines, which highlight major couturiers like Paul Poinet, Jeanne Lanin, Coco Chanel, and Elsa Schiaparelli. Steichen has been called the pioneer of modern fashion photography: the man who defined a new era of elegance and glamour.

The exhibit displays Steichen's work in fashion, dance, theater, and portraiture. Something about the newly painted dark navy walls adds elegance to the atmosphere. In the first section there is a fascinating silent film about Steichen working with a dancer. For those who have never seen Steichen's works or even heard of him, the film triggers instant attraction and curiosity.

Steichen was an expert in using artificial light to create dramatic scenes and portraits. In his fashion works, Steichen manipulates light to show the texture and details of the fabrics. This makes a two-dimensional image seem real.

Steichen is able to bring out the emotions and presence of his subjects. Looking at his photograph of a dress by Paul Poiret, you can feel the smoothness of the silk, the wispy feel of the tulle.

An experienced painter, Steichen knows exactly how to construct his models and objects to showcase the fabrics' texture, cut, style and folds.

Much of Steichen's photography is inspired by historical paintings. Steichen is famous for reinterpreting ideas from historical art and finding new ways to portray his subjects, magnifying their presence. You may find Steichen's reinterpretation of Spanish painter Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas (1656) in his 1934 piece with models Mary Taylor in a chiffon gown and Anne Whitehead in a moiré dress by a mirrored stairway.

Steichen has profoundly shaped the look of celebrity and fashion. The stylistic leap Steichen made in fashion photography earned him a compliment by one admiring critic who said, "To be photographed by Edward Steichen is to be 'Steichenized.'"

The AGO exhibit Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, The Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937 runs until January 3rd. It is certainly worth a visit, so mark your calendar and plan your trip now.

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