Visions of the Future- Syd Mead

For over 50 years, Sydney Jay Mead has made a very successful career as a 'Visual Futurist'. His talents have taken him around the world, with significant stop-offs in Hollywood and Detroit where his personal take on technology of the future has informed major projects like Blade Runner, Aliens and Star Trek. For many years he worked in the Advanced Styling Center for Ford Motors in Dearborn, then Detroit, Michigan.He also created futuristic visions of steel applications in promotional publications for US Steel in the 1960s.
Mead's conceptions of the future are seductively rendered full colour pieces, often featuring unusually attired people engaged in everyday activities. Usually, the backdrop is a familiar, yet technologically advanced, environment. This whiff of the mundane adds a certain plausibility to Mr Mead's vision. A recurrent motif in these pictures are weird half-animal half-robot family pets, elaborate brocaded semi-military caped outfits and identity (and humanity) concealing hi-tech helmets. The overall effect can be slightly menacing, maybe this is part of Mead's vision of the future.

Might is Right. TOTALITARIAN ART

Today, a look at the wonderful and frightening world ot the totalitarian propaganda poster. Wonderful? Yes, in the sense that these posters seem to be selling a dream, the promise of a brighter more purposeful future in the ranks of whichever 'grand enterprise' is bidding for your unquestioning alliegence. Notice the steely-eyed determination and frightening fanaticism of the SS man or the Chinese farmer thrusting his little red book into the air in defiance- of what? Democracy? Free Speech? Liberalism? All of these posters use colour and design to sell their product, but what exactly is the product? To me it looks like struggle, aggression, hatred of outsiders/non believers and a money-back guarantee of conflict.

The Brilliance of Italian Movie Posters

I yield to no man in my respect for the art of photograpy, but in recent years the media has become awash with photographic images, usually very average ones at that. When it came to movie posters I usually found those that relied on photographic depictions of the film and stars to be somewhat flat and unexciting, particularly when compared to the multicolured panache of a high quality painted poster. Yes, there were some bad ones, but just look at how exciting a poster can be, especially in the hands of the talented, often anonymous, Italian artists.

Alfred T Palmer. The War Effort

Alfred T Palmer had a rich and rewarding career in photography. He started at the age of 11 when his friend, a fifteen year old Amsel Adams, gave him a camera so the pair may take pictures as they hiked through Yosemite in California. The interest stuck, and the two boys both became successful photographers as they grew up. Although Ansel found his niche with landscape work, Alfred proved to have a greater affinity for human subject matter. He travelled the world recording diverse cultures with an attitude of respect and beauty. In recognition of his mastery President Roosevelt made Palmer chief photographer for the Office of War Information, an organisation that used the very best American photographers to record the war effort. The pictures above are part of Palmer's contribution, beautifully lit, almost like a classical painting in their chiaroscuro with rich vibrant colour tones. A fitting treatment for the epic struggle.

The German Picasso

After several days looking at outstanding photographic work, I'd like to spotlight one of the great painters of the early to mid twentieth century, Max Beckmann. In addition to being a brilliant colourist, Beckmann developed a very personal visual language -like Picasso-drawing on mythological and historical themes that he used to comment on contemporary issues afflicting the Wiemar Republic. When his work was later labelled 'degenerate' by the Nazis, he fled Germany for Holland. After WW2 he moved to the USA where he taught, wrote and continued to paint.

The Strange Career of Russell Metty

The career of ace Hollywood cinemaotographer Russell Metty is full of interesting twists and turns. His first full credit dates back to 1934 and three years later his first big success, Bringing Up Baby, marked the start of a twenty year period of solid yet imaginative work as a contracted Hollywood cameraman. Subject to the whims of various directors and an industry obsessed with over-lighting, Metty only had occasional opportunities to show the full range of his skills, The Stranger (1946), Ivy (1947) and The Lady Gambles (1949) are noteworthy examples. 'The Stranger' is a significant film for Metty marking his first 'official' collaboration with Orson Welles. Welles was notoriosly furious when RKO re-cut and shot extra scenes for the Magnificent Ambersons, feeling betrayed, his anger focussed on Robert Wise the stand-in director, marking a lengthy feud between the two men. Ironically, he was highly impressed by Metty's photography and used him on The Stranger and, arguably, his greatest movie, A Touch of Evil (1958). Metty's stunning black and white camerawork is absolutely fundamental to the claustrophobic, menacing atmosphere of the film. Showing another side to his talent, Metty provided luscious technicolor images on Douglas Sirk's landmark fifties weepies, Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1956), and Imitation Of Life (1959). Any of these films could have won him an Oscar but it was to be Spartacus (1960) that earned him the award and therein lies another twist. Originally hired by Anthony Mann, Metty was virtually pushed out of his chair by substitute director, Stanley Kubrick. Formerly a cameraman himself, Kubrick took over the reins to both direct and photograph the film. Thus, it must have been a strange sensation to receive such a prestigious award for a film he only partially shot.

Russell Metty continued to produce fine work during the sixties later moving into TV, notably on Columbo and even the Waltons for which he received an Emmy nomination. He died in 1978.

Madame Yevonde.Colour Pioneer

We recently looked at the colour photography of William Eggleston and noted how he found beautiful colour compositions in the informal arrangements of everyday things. Today we look at a photographer who created images of great beauty in a far more meticulous manner, Madame Yevonde. Born in England in 1893, Yevonde came to photography by chance when she responded to a job advert as a photographic assistant. Circumstances prevented her taking the job but the experience of seeing life in the studio convinced her that photography was to be her calling. She apprenticed herself to Lallie Jones, a leading portraitist, and set to learning the business. A quick learner, she soon moved on and opened her own studio in 1914 at age 21 styling herself, 'Madame Yevonde, Portrait Photographer'. Working in black and white, Yevonde built her reputation through the 1920s and in 1930 took the unheard of step to start working in colour. Using an early process manufactured in London called 'Vivex', she was able to create vibrant primary colours and delicate pastel shades, continually experimenting with colour and composition and building a clientelle for the new style. She created striking Surrealistic portraits of London society, imaginative still lifes and vivid advertising assignments, all in the Vivex system. These were her glory years. Sadly in 1940 the Vivex company closed and with it went the colour photography of Madame Yevonde, who steadfastly refused to use alternate 'inferior' colour processes. She returned to black and white and later experimented with solarisation, but never again did we see colour as rich as her love affair with Vivex.

John Cassavetes - Out of the Shadows

John Cassavetes was a great actor, a charismatic, driven individual and generally recognised as the father of the independent American film. Cassavetes' rep as a director is mainly based on the critical success of four 'features', Shadows (1959), Faces (1968) A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976). When Shadows premiered in 1959, it was hailed for its free-wheeling, improvisatory style, jazz soundtrack and gritty, hand-held monochrome photography. Over the years, the film has grown in stature, an example of 'real', 'truthful' film-making. Or so we thought. Now, discovered in the remnants of an old junk shop, there exists a near pristine copy of the same film made in 1957. This is the only known copy of a fully completed version screened that year to mixed critical reviews. A clearly disappointed Cassavetes called back the cast, shot new scenes, re-cut the old materal, re-worked the narrative and arrived at the version released in 1959. So, substantially, a new film. The final version of Shadows, then, is an imperfect movie- some wooden acting, partially improvised, partially scripted, continuity errors and all - but still a ground-breaking masterpiece.
Whether or not the public will ever get to see the original Shadows is debatable as the Cassavetes estate is very reluctant to do anything which may cast a shadow over John Cassavetes legacy.

The Real Man of Steel

Tony Zale was the definitive 50s middleweight; a fearsome fighter-puncher with a body cast from steel, a family man and all-around nice guy. His 3 fights with Rocky Graziano (2 wins, 1 loss) have gone down in boxing folklore for their savage ferocity. Zale was twice crowned world champion, losing the title first to Graziano and finally to European champion and lover of Edith Piaf, Marcel Cerdan. By this time Zale was 35 and his long ring career seemed to have caught up with him. A modest man, Zale enrolled for the US army under his real name, Anton Zaleski, Occupation?, professional boxer."I'd hate to be in your shoes" said the enlistment officer," We've got Tony Zale coming in this week!" Zale's response was not recorded. Tony Zale was to be cast as himself in Graziano's biopic 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' but lost out on the role when in pre-filming sparring Paul Newman, light-headed with method madness, took it upon himself to cut up rough, Zale was having none of it and proceeded to knock out the Hollywood pretty-boy. Zale died at 83. Years after their epic fights, it is said, tough guy Graziano would wake up at night in a cold sweat panicking he was back in the ring with Zale, the real Man of Steel.

Slim Aarons

If you love the look of TV show Mad Men, chances are, you'll love the work of Slim Aarons. He described his photography as " attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places", perfect for the zeitgeist of late 50s, early 60s USA. Aarons was well acquainted with Hollywood royalty, took several screen tests in the 40s and was accepted by the stars as one of 'them', this naturally, gave Slim the kind of access only a few photographers enjoyed. 'Kings of Hollywood', a famous Aarons picture shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and James Stewart enjoying a drink and shooting the breeze at a Hollywood party. Aarons also served as a war photographer in North Africa and later took pictures for Life, Vogue, Town and Country and other prestigious magazines. But it will be for his portraits of the rich and famous lounging langorously around their pools or sunbathing on their terrazzos for which Slim Aarons will be best remembered. Several Aarons books are currently available, check Amazon for details.

Chicks with Picks Pt1

For the most part, we tend to think of 1940s and 50s Jazz as mainly a male domain. Yes, plenty of wonderful female singers but all too few female musicians. Score one for the girls in the petite form of Mary Osborne, jazz guitarist supreme. Mary started on violin as a child, moving on to guitar and by her mid-teens was playing on radio broadcasts in her home state of North Dakota. She started playing in big bands and shortly after had her 'Road to Damascus' moment when she saw Jazz guitar legend Charlie Christian playing in Al Trent's band. Christian's dynamic style became Mary's prime influence and soon she was impressing, and playing with, the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Russ Morgan and Art Tatum. Moving on, she perfomed solo and with the Mary Osborne Trio, made recordings ( A Girl and Her Guitar LP) appeared regularly on the radio throuh the 50s and started a guitar-making company. Mary continued to play jazz festivals, recorded occasionally and finally passed away in 1992. Awaiting rediscovery, there are relatively few Mary Osborne recordings available, however, performances of 'I Love Paris' and 'These Foolish Things' are currently posted on YouTube showcasing her lovely, fluent playing.

The Legendary...

The biggest earning movie star of 1959 wasn't John Wayne, Burt Lancaster or Marlon Brando, it was, in fact, the man above, the impossibly handsome and wholesome Steve Reeves. Already crowned Mr America, Mr Universe, Mr Solar System, Mr 3 Dimensions etc, it was a given that 'the movies' would be Steve's next challenge. Now call me a cynic, but Steve was never going to be offered 'Death of a Salesman' or 'The Glass Menagerie', so his choice of Method devotee Stella Adler as acting coach was probably his first mistake. His second mistake was initially passing on 'Hercules', to be made in Italy and clearly far more suited to Reeve's particular talents.Finally he agreed to take the role, grew a beard and the rest is, literally, history. Steve became a huge star in Europe over the susequent years playing variations of the Hecules hero-type. In some ways the story ends there but it would be amiss of me not to mention two more of Reeves' questionable decision-making skills. His first blooper was to turn down the role of James Bond in Dr No when offered the role in 1961 and secondly Clint Eastwood only became the 'Man with no Name' when Steve decided to spend more time with his family and Lat machine.

Alex Toth- The Moody Magyar

The point is, with Alex Toth, if you have to ask the question," What's so great about him?" you're probably not yet ready to take him to your heart. Yes, he's something of an acquired taste. He didn't do super-ripped heroes, didn't endlessly "noodle" faces or labour over details. No, Alex Toth worked towards doing the bare minimum in his art and no-one has ever done so more eloquently. In combination with a strong sense of design, Toth could capture the most subtle nuances of body language or facial expression and set them down with an economy of detail. Like many mavericks, Toth could be difficult to work with. His temper was legendary and his dissatisfaction with his own and others' shortcomings seldom seem to have passed without comment. One senses a deep unhappiness with the world and the comic industry. Now passed on, his legacy will be reassessed by comic fans now and in the future.

Cindy Sherman, changeling.

It is said that, to be effective, art requires the viewer to actively participate in the piece. A case in point is Cindy Sherman in her classic series of 'Untitled Film Stills'. Here, Sherman creates a cinematic persona, places it in a scene and leaves the onlooker to construct the entire narrative based on our experience of a certain genre of film. I find it to be a wonderful, playful idea and Ms Sherman constantly shows her skillful, subtle understanding of popular culture and her remarkable ability to change her identity and submerge her own personality into the character she's playing. Imagine Picasso, Dali or Hockney trying to do that.