NORMAN PARKINSON

Norman Parkinson was born in London in 1913. He was one of the most famous fashion photographers of the 20th century, who played a major role in portraiture. His artworks represent a unique period of design, photography, and the modeling industry between the 1940s and the 1990s. Focused on the changing fashion of the century, Parkinson’s photos have a historical value. They reflect social changes that have defined modern culture as we see it today. Norman Parkinson began his career as an assistant at a photo studio but was eventually fired for non-fulfillment of his duties. In 1934 he opened his own studio. A year later, he was invited to work for the British Harper’s Bazaar. In 1942, Parkinson joined the team of Vogue UK and gained fame around the world within the next decade. In the 1960s, he took portraits of all British pop icon celebrities: from the royal family to the Beatles and Twiggy. His works brought him the award ‘For Contribution to Art’ (1968) and the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society (1981). In 1982, the American Society of Magazine Photographers awarded Parkinson for his contribution to photography. Parkinson’s photos are stored at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His artworks symbolize elegance and reveal the genuine piercing beauty of attractive women. Parkinson was a master of light and shadows, composition and style. He took his models out of his artificially lit studio and brought them into the transient natural environment. This new approach was full of life and brilliant irony, which was a marvelous characterization of the photographer himself.