Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Simple, direct, and penetrating, the celebrated photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders portrays his subjects like a painter from another age. Thanks to his 11x14” Fulmer & Schwing, an old wooden box dated 1905, which he uses as if he were using a palette and brush, he produces portraits that are rich in detail without being overly psychological. The poignant poses and expressions he captures in his straightforward images convey a sense of the person. Like Rembrandt and Velázquez depicting the great figures of their time, Greenfield-Sanders focuses his lens on today’s icons: artists, architects, writers, scientists, actors, directors, musicians artists, architects. Undoubtedly one of Greenfield-Sanders’s greatest merits is his being able to limit the distance that separates the portrait from the observer. This beautifully produced volume brings together an impressive selection of portraits taken between 1977 and the present with over 100 never published before. The juxtaposition of the portraits adds a compelling dimension to the individual portraits. The intensity of Elaine and Willem de Kooning or Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal multiplies as they appear next to each other on the page. William Wegman and Richard Hamilton lean toward each other, toward some kind of cosmic center. Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg seem to confirm the notion that a director is in total control. And porn star Briana Banks, look every bit like a porn star.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a contributing photographer at GQ, Index, and Vanity Fair, and his photographs appear regularly in publications worldwide. He lives and works in New York City. Demetrio Paparoni is an art critic and curator. He is co-editor of The Keith Haring Show (Skira 2005).