“Horst takes the inert clay of human flesh and models it into the decorative shapes of his own devising. Every gesture of his models is planned, every line controlled and coordinated to the whole of the picture. Some gestures look natural and careless because they are carefully rehearsed. The others, like Voltaire’s god were invented by the artist because they did not exist”
~ Mehemed Agha
(1929-1978)
Art Director - American Vogue
The model is Doris Zelensky wearing a dark suit with distinctly shaped shoulders and white sleeves. She wears a hat with a single feather and glances over her shoulder. The suit is by Robert Piguet and the hat is by Suzanne Talbot. It was shot in Paris for British Vogue. Horst was a master of studio lighting and favored spotlights to emphasize the key features of an outfit. So precise was Horst’s approach that the lighting for a single image could take three days to prefect. Hard to believe when he makes it look so simple and effortless right?
