2 Cents: Irving Penn

Christies is auctioning off a bunch of Irving Penn photos this week. I went to see the preview yesterday.

2 cents: Penn's work is always beautiful. And while beauty is not always enough, there are more than a few Penns with that extra-ineffable-something that transforms a good picture into an unforgettable one. Penn is an all-time great.

Two I saw yesterday just flat knocked me out.

If I had an extra $100K lying around, I would consider spending it on these kids from Cuzco, 1948:


I could look at this picture forever (here for a closer look). Their postures, their clothing, their expressions, their bare feet. Their hands together. And what all these things say about who they are, their attitude toward each other, toward Penn, toward us.

Also consider the table (the negative space surrounding it, as well as the shape it helps create when considered together with the two children). The grid-like stone floor. The wonderful light in Penn's makeshift Cuzco studio.

And I found that of all the "women-with-veiled-heads" pictures made by Penn in North Africa, this was the best:


Two Guedras, Morocco, 1972.

It's perfect. Just look at it for awhile.

Even better, go to this link at Christies, from which you can get a super-close look at the picture.

I had not known this until yesterday, but the women's eyes become visible as one gets closer to the picture. This transformed the feel of the work, even after I stood further back so that the eyes were no longer visible. Though the visibility of the eyes may be considered additional information, it enhanced the picture's mystery.

This picture is embodied grace. It brings order to the seemingly orderless universe. It reminds us that we are more than flesh-and-bone.