Anton Corbijn - By Michael Orange
The photographer that I have chosen is Anton Corbijn. Ironically, I became fully aware of Corbijn not through photography, but through film. His stunning 2007 film, Control, which beautifully depicted the tragic life of the Manchester band, Joy Division, and particularly their singer, Ian Curtis, was my first proper introduction to Corbijn’s work. Having heard his name mentioned on many occasions, I was captivated by the film’s beauty and sadness, the two blending together seamlessly. The film was, of course, directed and produced by Corbijn, indeed it was his first feature film. He had previously worked with Joy Division as a photographer, and you can see his wonderful cinematography stamped all across the film.
Corbijn was born on the 20th of May 1955 in Holland. He started his career as a music photographer around 1975, after he witnessed a Dutch musician playing in Groningen. He began photographing the musician in question, resulting in a rise in fame and exposure for both of them. A look through a list of who Corbijn has gone on to work with is mightily impressive.
The above image is of the band, Joy Division. Joy Division were an iconic post - punk band, who hailed from the industrial northern city of Manchester, England. This photograph is one of my favourites from Corbijn. When I think of Joy Division, I think of their sound - bleak, claustrophobic, intense. The use of black and white is significant with this shot, it only adds to the beauty. The bodies are almost shadowy and silhouette - like. It looks almost like they are in some kind of tunnel. For some reason, it perfectly compliments the band’s sound and feel. When I think of Joy Division, it’s impossible to look past the story of Curtis’s death, a tragic story, forever ingrained in the history of music. Corbijn took this aesthetic and put it to photograph, as he did with film.
Perhaps one of the reasons that I’m a fan of Corbijn’s work, is that he has worked with some of my favourite artists in music and film. His photography has a simplistic feel, in some ways. It doesn’t avail too much of any modern trickery, the photographs almost speak for themselves, they allow you to make up your own mind, in some ways. A lot of his work is also in black and white and he seems to be drawn to characters who have a story to tell, a lot of the stories coming from what can be perceived as a dark place, with his images reflecting this.
From the late 1970’s, Corbijn had his work featured on a regular basis by the British music paper, NME. He was also a regular contributor to The Face, a monthly post - punk/lifestyle magazine in London in the 80’s. In 1989, he began taking pictures in colour, using filters. Between 1998 and 2000, he worked on a project called Stripping Girls. It was a collaboration with the painter, Marlene Dumas and the subject matter was based around the strip clubs and peep shows of Amsterdam. Corbijn later exhibited the photographs, while Dumas used the polaroids as sources for her paintings.
Not only a photographer of famous musicians and stars of the world of film, he has also been responsible for the artwork on many albums. Depeche Mode, U2, Nick Cave, R.E.M, The Rolling Stones - Corbijn has managed to associate himself with true heavyweights of the music industry over the years.
The album sleeve for The Boatman’s Call by Nick Cave. Taken by Anton Corbijn
Don van Vliet (Captain Beefheart)
One of my favourite artists is Captain Beefheart. Corbijn shot this image on the very first day he met him, in August 1980. It ended up being used on Beefheart’s ‘Ice Cream for Crow’ album. Corbijn revealed that he asked van Vliet to remove his trademark hat for the photo, in an attempt to capture ‘the person over the artist’. It’s a striking image, once again the use of black and white is powerful, the barren land in the background adding an eerie feel. Van Vliet actually stopped making music in 1982, but was responsible for some ground breaking releases, defying genre and transcending any idea of what conventional guitar music was. Corbijn even made a documentary for the BBC in 1993 called ‘Some YOYO Stuff’, which featured van Vliet, along with David Lynch.
Corbijn’s work is provocative, emotional and artistic.
