It was a wonderful clear and sunny San Francisco day. I got a bit lost coming and going, but not too bad overall.
I found the exhibit facinating. There are so many snippets of our life and times displayed in Annie Leibovitz's photographs. They were divided between black and white and color photography. There was also a five minute film giving you an overview of her life and work. One of the most facinating things I learned about Annie was that she did not have her first child until the age of 51, followed 3 1/2 years later by a set of twins!
The photos I most enjoyed were her family photos showing her children, her parents, her sister. Then there were the celebrity photos! Demi Moore nude and pregnant, Leonardo Di Caprio with a swan, the one of Jack Nicholson golfing in his bathrobe gave everyone a laugh! The photo of Nicole Kidman was stunning. Another favorite was The White Stripes, where Meg lays serenely and happily tied to a spinning wheel while Jack prepares to toss a throwing knife at her while looking in the other direction!
There are a few large scale landscapes, one in particular the kids and I loved was of a misty forest. I thought how nice it might be to have that on a wall at home, then thought no, it's a bit spooky really!
Annie Lebovitz is an artist. Not with a brush or with clay but with a camera. Her pictures have edge and soul and you get a deep sense of her subjects. Nudity is a common element or theme in her photos.
Now to Miley Cyrus. I love the photo of Miley Cyrus. I think she looks fresh and beautiful. She is the essence of a girl on the brink of womanhood. The photo may have caused a bit of controversy, but there is no doubt in my mind that Miley will be proud to have been photographed by Annie Leibovitz and proud to display that photo for the rest of her life. I know Miley is a role model for lots of little girls, I see them in their t-shirts and with their backpacks all over school. Yes, it seems a bit improper at first. But I asked my daughter, Alexandra, how she felt about it and she said, "If she were wearing a backless gown that covered the same amount nobody would have said a thing about it." I think she's right. And, it's art. Period.
Would I have let my daughter, Alexandra, pose that way when she was 15? Probably not, unless the photographer was Annie Leibovitz.
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