Platon.
- Thread starter Keith
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dave lackey
Veteran
Love this guy and his work.. he is on Netflix with a great documentary.
halfaninchawater
Established
Thanks Keith. A wonderful story of one man's photographic journey and his ability to capture his subjects humanity and spirit within a portrait.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
I'd seen the Netflix documentary and found him annoying. I then watched some more and found him even more distasteful. Cheers, OtL
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
A lot of his portraits have a very unusual perspective ... they are very creative! 🙂
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I have to admit I didn't warm to him in the radio interview! lol
Freakscene
Obscure member
We live in a time of odd expectation. His photos are great, and that should be enough on its own. That an annoying self-importance and a range of other things seem to go with it shouldn’t be a problem, but we’re so obsessed with over-sharing that everyone wants to know an artists ‘story’ and get ‘insights’ into their practice. These are irrelevant if you view the photos for what they are. There has been a biographical series on Hemingway Hemingway (TV Mini Series 2021– ) ⭐ 8.1 | Documentary, Biography on tv here recently. Hemingway was a pretty unpleasant character in a lot of ways, but The Old Man and the Sea is still incredible. With most people who create, and are really great at it, you already have the best of them when you view their work. I am not sure why there is any need to ‘look deeper’.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
The interview with him on RN had very little to say about his actual photography unfortunately. A lot of it was about Putin and the fact that he is a Beatles/Paul McCartney fan ... apparently. lol The video on his web site is worth looking at ... he is actually more than just a photographer!
Freakscene
Obscure member
Actually, I should clarify, seeing as I have ‘looked deeper’ a lot myself. It surprises me that people expect a certain type of discovery from this type of investigation.
I listened to it. One thing about current culture that is interesting is that there is a general expectation that a talented photographer-videographer (an artist) will or should know about these things, and, much worse, that their skill and fame in art makes their views on these things more valid or important. Some noteworthy individuals fall into this and think that because people are interested that they _do_ know more or a lot about these things.
It is worth understanding this phenomenon and using it to inform critical ignoring if you want to benefit from the core capacities that talented people have without being infected by the hype.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I found the photos of Putin fascinating ... in fact all his political portraits really did it for me. The Dubbya one as well ... it showed a side of George Bush that I actually really like. 🙂
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Thank you for posting this. I like his work very much and enjoyed the documentary.
His eponym would be proud, I think.
His eponym would be proud, I think.
pyeh
Member of good standing
I just saw the Platon exhibition at the Ballarat Bienalle. Really quite impressive. Sort of a bizzaro Avedon. Worth seeing.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Lucky you. The more I look at his website the more I like what I see and some of the images that I was initially a little non plussed about are now speaking to me! lol
Out to Lunch
Ventor
and Einstein wasn't very good in the kitchen, or so I've been told. This said Hemingway was awarded a Nobel for his work while 'Platon' -what's in a name, appears to be a relentless self-promotor. Cheers, OtL
Richard G
Veteran
I liked the photograph of the man rowing with the long oar and the horizon at an angle. The Colin Powell shot and most of the other scalping close ups look like schtick alone, with the exception perhaps of Putin. Was it Eisenstaedt who set up Alfried Krupp with the extreme low angle close up lit harshly? He had a specific purpose in that. I didn’t mind the narrative so much. Why film? This is not like me to be so uncritical. I swear it wasn’t me that beat him up.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
rulnacco
Well-known
I’m of two minds about his work. Part of me likes it, and his technique (pretty simple, really) gives an interesting look to the portraits, as long as you don’t look at too many of them at once.
Which leads to my objection to his work: the other part of my feeling toward his work is that it’s schtick in which his technique draws attention to itself; the only thing that makes it a bit intriguing is that it’s famous people in front of his camera. (I mean, think about if he did the same thing with people no one recognized, it would become about the photographer doing his “thing” to them, not about the sitters themselves.)
Does it show any “essential truth” about the sitter, does it tell us anything about the “soul” of this celebrity? No.
Which leads to my objection to his work: the other part of my feeling toward his work is that it’s schtick in which his technique draws attention to itself; the only thing that makes it a bit intriguing is that it’s famous people in front of his camera. (I mean, think about if he did the same thing with people no one recognized, it would become about the photographer doing his “thing” to them, not about the sitters themselves.)
Does it show any “essential truth” about the sitter, does it tell us anything about the “soul” of this celebrity? No.
pyeh
Member of good standing
Rulnacco, schtick is exactly the word I thought after I came away from his show, especially regarding his close up head shots using a widish lens. They're entertaining to look at en masse, and it's fun to make out the famous person in this undignified portrayal. However his formal shots bear more consideration. He manages to ellicit quite different expressions from some very familiar faces.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
We are so used to seeing famous people being presented in a certain way. Though this technique may be a schtick, it does break what we are used to perceiving and it seems a bit refreshing. It's reminiscent of Philippe Halsman making his subjects jump.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
It's all about the photographer being the main character. OK, I'll be quiet now. Cheers, OtL
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