Out of the Audience

Guy Bourdin: Image Maker

There are certain exhibitions that you end up raving about for weeks to follow. The realisation that Guy Bourdin: Image Maker is one of them occurs almost as soon as entering through the door. This is unsurprising, given that Somerset House have put together the largest retrospective of Bourdin's work to be held in the UK. Featuring over 100 never before seen pieces, the show spans an extensive 40-year career. 

As a fashion photographer, Bourdin made his mark in his distinct style, intertwining a cinematic approach with the stylistic workings of the fashion world. Displaying work from 1955 to 1987, it can be seen how Bourdin uses landscape to establish narratives within his work. His process is not so separated from a filmmakers, which becomes apparent when his images are placed alongside his sketchbooks. Noting that everything he did was carefully calculated, illuminates the minute detail that went into creating a single shot. This marks an ability to reveal so much through a single image. Here the fashion world comes to life. It is not merely marked by its aesthetic appeal, but rather invites the viewer to look beyond the surface. Quick snapshots of women, the backs of their heads, or giving a single look filled with intent, reveals it's more about what you aren't seeing. Bourdin has a way of drawing the viewer in; as if there's a joke you want to be in on, or a secret he will only hint at. There is a distinct playfulness to all of the images. They are colourful and full of life. They reveal Bourdin not simply as a fashion photographer, but as a storyteller. I am reminded of Tarantino's films, in the way that a foot can be suggestive of so much more, sparking ideas of the person behind it. Drawing comparisons with directors places his work simultaneously within the realm of cinematography.

The curation of the show wonderfully combines the cinematic and moving images with the many stills of Bourdin's career. One room sees you circulated by films. The viewer is immersed in the images as well as placed as observer. There is something hypnotic about the piece. It is unclear whether you are being enchanted by the captivating beauty of the subject, or the vision of the director. The use of Bernard Herrmann's Twisted Nerve, a song pregnant with familiarity and reference points, ensures a surreality remains. 

A series of photographs from Charles Jourdan in 1979 use mannequin legs to model the shoes. Again it is what we aren't seeing that matters. By using only legs, the viewer is able to imagine the sort of woman who might reside in the scenes. Maybe they imagine themselves, or perhaps a loved one. The point is it allows them to visualise a subject of their own making. The nature of fashion photography to promote a designer's work was certainly understood by Bourdin. In this instance he avoids any degree of comparison. The viewer is not asked to meet a standard of beauty that is obscured in its extremity, but rather is invited to view the piece in a way that works for them. There is no intimidation, and thus Bourdin's work becomes at once adventurous as well as accessible. 

Bourdin's artistic approach, where he utilises the model as a mode of communication, is signified here. He understands fashion photography as a way of selling an item. This is not to say that women are disregarded in his work. The way that Bourdin interacts with his models has been the subject of speculation. Yes, much of Bourdin's work is sexually suggestive, but to pigeonhole his lens as a mode of objectification is to overlook the persuasiveness of his work. Bourdin's proposition, that we are viewing a snapshot of a wider scene, implies that these women have lives extending out of the image. If they are beautiful and intriguing that is not all there is to them. In many ways, this humanises the model. Though Bourdin acknowledges the role of his subject, he also allows for her to escape the confines that this role necessitates. Bourdin does not ask his models to be unthinking, unmoving; instead he demands that they are the opposite. In this way, I'd suggest that far from being demeaning, Bourdin's way of casting his lens upon a woman provides a liberation that is lacklustre within the fashion world. 

Guy Bourdin: Image Maker is at Somerset House until March 15.