THE METAMORPHOSIS — Having successfully weathered the shifting winds of fashion and undergone remarkable physical transformations of his own, Karl Lagerfeld has focused his attention on a different variety of metamorphosis in his latest photography collection. In this case we watch as Mr. Lagerfeld shifts his aesthetic eye from the sphere of women’s fashion to the physical and emotional development of top male model and Lagerfeld muse, Brad Kroenig. A while back, fellow Homo-Neurotic “deadpixl” and I dropped into the launch party for Metamorphoses of an American to check out the photos, mingle with glitterati, and catch a glimpse of the Kaiser himself. Join me for a look at the new book.
Conceived in part as a photo-documentary of the rise from humble All-American boy to billboard beauty, Lagerfeld follows Brad from his first forays into modeling in 2003 and along his ascent to the top of the male modeling world. Organized loosely chronologically, the photos capture the early innocence and ease in front of the camera that slowly gives way to the world-worn composure of an experienced model. In addition to capturing the natural metamorphosis of a rising star, Kroenig and Lagerfeld collaborate in exploring the malleability of the model’s persona through interpretive allusions to James Dean, Errol Flynn, Rudolph Valentino, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. With 1,200 images taken around the globe and spread over five years, it parallels the way classical landscape photographers returned year after year to explore the subtle variations imparted on their subject matter by changes in light and the passing of seasons. Only here we see the meditation of a photographer on the same physical being, capturing the fleeting beauty and changes, both subtle and dramatic, which define the passing of time.
Now available from publishing house Steidl as a handsomely cloth-bound, four-volume collection, Metamorphoses of an American makes an attractive addition to the Homo-Neurotic photography library. NY Magazine also caught up with Mr. Lagerfeld at the book launch to query the Kaiser on fashion, photography, and politics. Check it out.
