Lee Miller was born in 1907 in the State of New York as the child of a father of German descent and a Canadian nurse. She had a traumatic childhood (she was raped at the age of seven). At the age of eighteen she moved to France, where she soon came into contact with the bustling art scene and the emerging young surrealists. She moved back to the USA one year later and was discovered as a model. Due to her photogenic and elegant appearance she was seen as an archetype of the mid-twenties mode. Coming back to Paris in 1929, she started to live together with Man Ray in an amour fou. From him and other famous photographers and artists of that time she learned whatever she could about photography.
After breaking up with Ray a few years later she moved back to New York, where she worked as a fashion photographer and was again influenced by her artist friends, many of whom were surrealists. Her first marriage with an Egyptian businessman allowed her to live out her adventurous and wild character and to visit wide parts of the world. Eventually, she moved to Egypt in 1934. Despite the beautiful landscape, Miller soon felt a strong longing for Europe and went back to France only three years later, leaving her husband behind. When war broke out in 1939, Miller was in England with her future husband Roland Penrose. She started her career as a war correspondent two years later.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Surrealism and Fashion
- 3. Through a Woman's Eye
- 4. Conclusion: Miller in Context
- 5. Bibliography
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This text explores the life and work of Lee Miller, a photographer who gained prominence during World War II. It examines her career, her artistic influences, and her unique perspective as a female war correspondent. The text analyzes Miller's work in the context of both surrealism and war photography, providing insights into her development as an artist and her approach to documenting the horrors of war.
- The influence of surrealism on Miller's photography
- Miller's unique perspective as a female war correspondent
- The impact of the Second World War on Miller's life and work
- Miller's portrayal of the horrors of war and the human cost of conflict
- The intersection of art and reality in Miller's photography
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides a biographical overview of Lee Miller's early life, highlighting her traumatic childhood, her early involvement with the art scene in Paris, and her subsequent career as a fashion model and photographer. It also introduces her relationship with Man Ray and her development as a photographer under his tutelage.
- Chapter 2: Surrealism and Fashion This chapter examines the influence of surrealism on Miller's photography, showcasing examples of her work that reflect the principles and aesthetics of the movement. It discusses her use of surrealist techniques and motifs in her photographs, as well as her ability to create a sense of eeriness and unreality in her images. The chapter also explores how Miller's surrealist sensibilities influenced her approach to war photography, allowing her to depict the horrors of war with both stark realism and artistic sensibility.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Lee Miller, surrealism, war photography, female war correspondent, Second World War, Dachau concentration camp, artistic sensibility, human cost of war, documentary photography, surrealist techniques, artistic influence, artistic development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lee Miller?
Lee Miller was a 20th-century American photographer, fashion model, and surrealist artist who became a prominent war correspondent during WWII.
How did surrealism influence Lee Miller's work?
Her background in surrealism allowed her to capture the horrors and absurdities of war with a unique, often eerie artistic perspective.
What was Miller's relationship with Man Ray?
She lived and worked with Man Ray in Paris, where she learned professional photography and became part of the surrealist movement.
What are some famous subjects of Miller's war photography?
She is well-known for her photographs of the liberation of concentration camps like Dachau and her iconic picture in Hitler's bathtub.
What challenges did she face as a female war correspondent?
The text explores her unique 'woman's eye' perspective in a male-dominated field and how she documented the human cost of conflict.
- Quote paper
- MA Urs Endhardt (Author), 2010, Lee Miller’s War, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/179463
