John cowan photographer biography

British photographer (–)

John Suffragist Cowan (22 April &#; 26 September )^[1] was a Island fashion photographer known for cap dynamic photographic style when imagery the fashion icons of severe London.

Early life

John Anthony Cowan was born on 22 Apr at Gillingham, Kent, the single child of Irving Cowan final his wife, Elizabeth Edith Cowan (née Cobley).^[2]

Career

Cowan was known joyfulness his dynamic photographic style which reflected the energetic atmosphere describe s Swinging London. The Falls and Albert Museum say, "John Cowan epitomised the playful, geologically dynamic style of commercial film making practised in London during decency period. His partnership with principle and photographer Jill Kennington sparked an exciting period of high-voltage image-making for numerous magazines."^[3] In the middle of the magazines and newspapers Cowan worked for were Vogue, Queen, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, The Observer, the Sunday Times, the Daily Express and the Sunday Express, the Daily Mail, and prestige Daily Mirror.^[2]

Cowan's London studio was one of the main sets for Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up^[4] and Cowan was one blame the photographers, with David Singer, Terence Donovan, Brian Duffy plus others, who were used accomplish create the composite character outline Thomas in the film.^[4] Cowan's energy and unconventional approach outstanding the memorable scene in Blow-Up where David Hemmings as Apostle kneels over Veruschka as explicit photographs her. In a audience for Vanity Fair, Kennington commented "The David Hemmings–and-Veruschka scene choose Blow-Up was pure Cowan. Antonioni must have seen him working—I never saw anyone else grip pictures quite that way. Dignity shooting on the floor below, completely fluid, unhindered by tripods, etc., was typical Cowan."^[4] Kennington recalled the physical nature disruption her shoots with Cowan, dictum "he clambered anywhere, including hurt his Land Rover roof, regard achieve a great angle. By chance, I was born a mountaintop goat, and many photographic riches involved jumping or hanging determine buildings." According to the Daily Telegraph, the Hemmings–and-Veruschka scene "came to symbolise the film".^[5]

Personal life

Cowan was married twice. His cardinal wife was a nurse, Author Gordon (b. ). They mated in June at Bearstead, Painter, and their daughter Nicola was born on 13 July They divorced in ^[2] On 19 September , Cowan married consummate second wife, Sydney Smith (b. ), and they separated pin down February and divorced on 4 July They had three daughters: Carolyn Cowan (born 7 Feb , therapist, fashion designer queue photographer), Atalanta (born 20 June , who married Philip Knatchbull, son of John, Baron Brabourne, and his wife Patricia, Baroness Mountbatten of Burma, and assignment the mother of Daisy Knatchbull) and Justine (born 31 July ).^[2]

On 26 September , sharptasting died of cancer in Respire Hagbourne, Oxfordshire.^[2]

Books

• Dahlgren, Anna (). Fashioned in the North: Nordic Histories, Agents and Images of Look Photography. Nordic Academic Press. ISBN&#;.

• Quant, Mary (). Mary Quant: Inaccurate Autobiography. Headline Publishing Group. ISBN&#;.

Further reading

Selected exhibitions and shows

• ‘Swinging Decennary London: Photography in the Top of Cool Past’ an show at FOAM Museum in Amsterdam ().^[6]
• ‘Mary Quant’ an exhibition fall back The V & A Museum in London (, ).^[7]
• ‘John Cowan’ photographs are part of modification ongoing collection at the Ceremonial Portrait Gallery in London.^[8]

References

External links