Dissertation Proposal (Research Methods)

Controversial Images - with reference to the work of Annie Leibovitz.

Controversial  

If something is 'controversial', the definition is that it is the subject of intense public argument, disagreement or disapproval.

In considering the history of photography, it is perhaps unsurprising that there have always been certain images produced, that have been labelled ‘controversial’.

The ‘controversy’ may surround the content of the image, which at the time it was taken or published, may have challenged what was considered socially, morally, ethically or politically acceptable. The question of whether or not the label of ‘controversial’ is justifiable, can also be the subject of intense debate and discussion.

The Intention is to take a brief look at several photographs that have caused controversy, and examine the different reasons for this description having been applied, and then to perhaps narrow the field down further, by looking at 3 photographs by one photographer in particular.

A photographer who seems to frequently produce images, that are then labelled with the tag 'controversial', is Annie Leibovitz.  Her work, whether it be for magazine covers, for exhibitions, or for books, could often be said to stir up an immense amount of debate and reaction on occasion.

An example of this is the cover she produced for Vogue in 1991.

It depicted the actress, Demi Moore, naked and seven months pregnant, and it created an immense amount of debate in the media when it was published.  It produced such wide differences of opinion, from the view that it was sexual objectification, through to claims that the photograph celebrated female empowerment .

The Demi Moore cover is just one of the magazine covers that Leibovitz has taken, that has sparked debate and discussion in the media.

Others include this image, of Mylie Cyrus,  taken for Vanity Fair in June 2008 .

The fact that Cyrus was only 15 years old in this photograph, provoked a huge storm in the media.  Germain Greer discussed the image in an article she wrote where she cited the image as being typical of the sexually exploitive way children are often portrayed in images.

"The subject of Leibovitz's photo could be a child prostitute from Casablanca, vintage 1900, the camera in the hands of a sex tourist who is about to toss a few coins to the doorkeeper"

Hamilton Nolan, (2008) writing for Gawker.com, an online news magazine/blog, is particularly critical.

"Annie Leibovitz: come off it. Really now. As dirty as the media business is— and particularly the celebrity media business, which Vanity Fair revels in under a sheen of high class pretension—there are some bare, bottom-level standards to which we all must adhere. One of those is, "Do not sexually exploit minors." You want to economically exploit a minor? Fine. That's a grand American tradition. But trotting out 15 year-old Miley Cyrus with pouty lips, tousled hair, and only a bedsheet is just bad. Bad! Of course Vanity Fair bears the responsibility for publishing it. But the idea for the shoot can be traced to the tired celeb photographer Leibovitz (who is sorry it's been "misinterpreted"). And her narrow, robotically transgressive act has now played itself out. This incident, and Leibovitz's entire style, is less shocking than it is boring— but with a 15-year-old involved, it's boring and creepy."

Another example is this image of James LeBron, which became known as the the 'LeBron Kong' cover, taken for Vogue, April 2008. 

 

This again created a huge media debate, with claims that the image perpetuates a stereotype of a black man that portrays him as animalistic, brutal and a savage .

 

Several of the images included in the exhibition and book, ‘A Photographers Life’ also created reaction and response in the media.  Leibovitz used images of her family, grieving after the death of her Father; images of herself, aged 51 and pregnant, in a similar pose to that of the Demi Moore cover; and images of her longtime companion, Susan Sontag, taken during Sontag's terminal illness, and after her death.

 

One of the main questions raised is whether or not the reaction to Leibovitz’s work, and the label of ‘controversial’, applied to several of her images, is always justified?

If the individual images selected are examined, is it possible to define exactly what it is about them that generated the reaction? On what grounds did they challenge what was considered socially acceptable, at the time they were published? Would reaction to these images have been different, had they been taken at a later date in time, when perhaps the social attitude regarding what is acceptable, had changed?

What impact has the fact that Leibovitz photographs celebrities had on the response her work receives?  Has the way the subject been perceived in the media, prior to the photograph, had any influence on the media and public’s response to the work?

The motivation of Leibovitz herself, may also be an interesting area to examine. To what extent have events and actions in her personal life shaped her work? Has she deliberately set out to be controversial with any of the images considered, in order to increase media coverage and for financial gain? Or are the images just a reflection of what was happening in her life at the time the photographs were taken, and indicative of a photographer who quite literally lives ‘Life through a lens’?.

It is also interesting to consider how much of the reaction to her work has perhaps been provoked by Leibovitz's personal life and behaviour.  Certain aspects of her lifestyle could possibly be said to be pushing the boundaries of what was/is considered 'the norm' and it may be interesting to examine if there is any evidence that this has influenced how her work has been received.  Is it the photographs that are controversial - or the photographer herself?  

Leibovitz took this self portrait of herself, in a style similar to the Demi Moore cover.   At the time it was taken, she was aged 51, and pregnant via IVF - is it possible to speculate that several aspects of this added to the perception of Leibovitz's reputation for controversy?  There had been something of a media back lash against the idea of older mothers, as well as something of a growing media storm about the morality of celebrities having /adopting children as 'accessories', irrespective of whether or not their life style could provide a stable environment for the children.  Was this perhaps compounded by the fact that Leibovitz's long time 'companion' was female, during an era where there was still some arguments about the appropriateness of same sex 'parents', and the threat this could potentially pose to a more 'traditional' idea of a family?

 Is there any evidence to suggest that the media and critics not only look for, but occasionally ‘manufacture’ reasons to apply the label ‘controversial?.

As an example of this, Leibovitz photographed the Queen, for an official portrait, commemorating her visit to the state of Virginia, in the USA - it wasn't so much the resultant image that caused controversy, rather that in making a trailer for a documentary about the occasion, the BBC later admitted to editing a sequence of events in a manner that made it appear that the Queen had 'stormed out' of the photo session - which in fact, didn't happen. Is there any other documented evidence/instances that would support the argument that the media has deliberately manipulated aspects of her work, and how its presented, in order to boost the circulation of publications, or the viewing figures of programs, featuring Leibovitz’s work? 

In order to investigate the questions raised so far, there are a number of sources that can be examined in order to try and establish answers and information.

Books.

In order to get Leibovitz's own perspective on her work and motivation, there are several books available through the library and link services, which may provide an insight. For example,

Annie Leibovitz - At Work

Published By Jonathan Cape, London, 2008

A Photographers Life 1990 - 2005

Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 2006

Film/video

'Life through a Lens' - documentary about Leibovitz's life and work, in which she herself explains her approach and view.

There are also a series of interviews, on video clips, that feature Leibovitz talking about her work and her motivation, including interviews specifically about 'A Photographers Life', in which she discusses her relationship with Sontag and explains why she took the images that featured in the book, exhibition and documentary.

News clips and other similar video’s are available, that show the responses of both critics, and the public's

reaction and views to Leibovitz’s work.   

Online Resources.

Using 'myathens', and through that using -

JSTOR - scholarly journals

NewsBank - full text articles relating to this subject from over 350 UK newspapers

Oxford Art Online - full text journals covering art and design subjects.

There are several blogs where Leibovitz and her work are discussed, which also present interesting views and opinions about several of the questions raised.

Online Magazine features, and interviews about Leibovitz and her work - there is a considerable volume of material like this, from which information may be obtained.

Questionaires

It may be interesting to establish how the public regard Leibovitz images that have been labelled ‘controversial’, and if their response agrees with not only the label of ‘controversial’, but the reasons for it being applied.  These questionnaires could be produced both online, and in paper form, and distributed to a wide range of participants in order to ascertain also what social factors, such as age, may influence views, alongside other factors such as the participants interest and awareness of the celebrity involved in different images,  and their prior knowledge of Leibovitz’s work.

Once research is taken further, it will be possible to narrow down the field of questions, and approach just perhaps one or two of them in greater depth .  At present, there is such a huge amount of available resources, detailing aspects of Leibovtz's work, that it is somewhat overwhelming.  Given the number of research possibilities, it is possible that the questions posed and the direction the research takes, may change as this project develops and evolves. 

Bibliography

Greer, G. (2008) 'We like our Venuses young', The Guardian, April 30th, 2008 

Nolan, H. (2008) 'Why its Annie Leibovitzs Fault', The Gawker.com Available from (http://gawker.com/384674/why-its-annie-leibovitzs-fault) [Electronically Accessed April 2012]

Leibovitz, A. (2008) A Photographers Life 1990 - 2005.  London: Jonathan Cape

BBC News, 2007

Images Obtained from -

Vanity Fair,  August 1991.  

 

Vanity Fair June 2008

Vogue, April 2008. 

Leibovitz, A (2006) A Photographers Life 1990 - 2005. London: Jonathan Cape