Ekaterine Kervalishvili

Professor Doris Cacoilo

Media 384

6 May 2017

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is an American photographer. She was born in Waterbury Connecticut in 1949. Her father was lieutenant in the U.S air force. Because of her fathers work Leibovitz was often forced to move. Leibovitz found inspiration in traveling with her family, first picture she ever took was in Philippines during Vietnam Was. Leibovitz is considered one of America’s best portrait photographers. She developed her trademark style for bold colors and poses while working at Rolling Stones magazine.

            Leibovitz gained her notoriety while she worked with Rolling Stones magazine. She took some of her most iconic photographs for Rolling Stones including famous photo of John Lenon and Yoko Ono.

            Leibovitz in 1999 along with her partner Susan Sontag she created the series called The women. The series included women of all ages and professions cultural and social backgrounds. Women in photographs had nothing in commons except they all were women and living in America. Sontag who was also renowned feminist argued: “These images unsurp the old male stereotypes of women and cut to the core of female identity at the end of the 20^th century.”

            The series in many ways was a counterpoint of how women were presented. The series challenged the stereotypes and showed women for all walks of life. It challenged the stereotypes of what women should look like. Leibovitz captured her subject without make-up or styled wardrobe. Women in series were authentic and uncensored, their appearances were unaltered it showed their true self.

            In 2016 Lebovitz worked on the series called New Women. It was the update from the 1999 work, however this time Leibovitz focused more on what women did. Leibovitz photographed Politicans, CEO, human rights lawyers. Leibovitz captured women who managed to achieve success in predominantly male professions. The women in photographs are the faces of change in the society. The women In pictures aren’t characterized by feminine ideas of what women should look like or what they should do or don’t do.

            In the exhibition Leibovitz incorporated works from both series. She placed images of homeless women next to the photograph of powerful politician such as Hilary Clinton. Audrey Lorde in her essay “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” said: “But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I’m still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. And it was the concern and caring of all those women which gave me strength and enabled me to scrutinize the essentials of my living.”  

            Even though two kinds women in Leibovitz series were vastly different, they were united by their womanhood. Each could understand and relate to the struggle other had to overcome in breaking down the stereotypes. Leibovitz in 1999 captured the images of women who fought against the idea of what they should look like and in 2016 Leibovitz photographed women who managed to break down another barrier and acquire careers previously held by men. Leibovitz work shows the progress women made over the years however it is still long way to go for equality.

Work Cited

Hilarie. "Annie Leibovitz’s Work on ‘Women’ Is Never Done." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Oct. 2016. Web. 07 May 2017.

Lorde, Audre. "The transformation of silence into language and action." Sister outsider: Essays and speeches (1977): 81-84.

"Annie Leibovitz's women." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Oct. 1999. Web. 07 May 2017.