Richard Avedon Borrowed Dogs Questions

Richard Avedon's "Borrowed Dogs" Images mentioned in article

Rembrandt, Self-Portrait Oil on canvas 1661

Richard Avedon, Francis Bacon Silver gelatin print 1973

Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait with Raised Left Hand Oil on canvas 1912

Egon Schiele, Hindering the Artist Is a Crime, it Is Murdering Life in the Bud! Oil on canvas, 1918

Richard Avedon, Jacob Israel Avedon (father) Silver gelatin print 1978

Richard Avedon's "Borrowed Dogs" Questions (30 point homework grade) Directions: Read the article "Borrowed Dogs" by Richard Avedon. Respond to the following questions using complete sentences in your sketchbook. Title your sketchbook page with the name of the article, and write legibly! 1) What does the title of the article refer to? How does this act relate to Avedon's opinion about the process of taking a portrait? 2) "The point is that you can’t get at the thing itself, the real nature of the sitter, by stripping away the surface. The surface is all you’ve got. You can only get beyond the surface by working with the surface." In your opinion, what does Avedon mean when he says this about taking a portrait of someone? 3) What reasons does Avedon give for the idea that all portraits in some way deal directly with fashion? 4) Avedon compares the use of blank white backgrounds to using grey and black backgrounds when taking portraits. What are some of the reasons for using each, and how are they different in Avedon's opinion? 5) When photographing Francis Bacon, Avedon directs the shoot actively by asking Bacon to do two things before and during the shoot. Identify these two decisions. When reading about the shoot, and looking at the final diptych of Bacon, how did these two decisions affect the overall success of the portrait in your opinion? 6) In a letter to his dad, what does Avedon admit to valuing the most in a photograph of a person? Why?