Michael Andreas Russ (January 1945 – September 27, 2021) was an American photographer, photo designer and film director. In reference to his artistic cooperation on the ''

Swordfishtrombones ''Swordfishtrombones'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in 1983 on Island Records. It was the first album that Waits self-produced. Stylistically different from his previous albums, ''Swordfishtrombones ...

'' album cover production, singer

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

commented on Russ' work: "His approach to photography is with the eyes of a painter working with light. This technique is what drew me to Michael’s work in the beginning". Russ' career as a photographer began in New York in the late 1960s, where he photographed his fellow acting students. Self-taught, he evolved his own style: "The grainy picture appearing horizontally in subtle motion as though it came of the silver screen". A black and white photograph by Russ, inspired by an

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

film, was published on the cover of ''Art Direction, The Magazine of Visual Communication'' with a

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...

quotation: "The composition in which we live makes the art which we see and hear". He eventually moved to his own studio off

Union Square, Manhattan Union Square is a historic intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, United States, located where Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Bowery, the former Bowery Road – now Park Avenue, Fourth Avenue – c ...

and connected with the local underground art scene. In his early years Russ focused on men's fashion magazines and erotic sequential photographic scenes for

Playboy Press PLBY Group, Inc. is an American global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Hefner as Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to oversee the ''Playboy'' magazine and related assets. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. The company is focus ...

books. He soon experimented with distinctive photographic techniques, turning

35mm 35 mm may refer to: Film * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM, a "musical exhibition" by Ryan Scott Oliver that features music ...

black and white film into chemically toned, masked, solarized and hand-colored, "one of a kind" silver gelatin prints. These "TinTones", as Russ would call them, were to become the trademark of his work. They were published in popular fashion and lifestyle magazines and brought him international recognition among peers in the art world. Michael Russ' "Prussian Blue" TinTone photo exhibition at the Los Angeles China Club was the basis for the artistic collaboration with

, who commissioned Russ for the cover photograph for the album ''

''.Smay, David. "Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones". Interview with Michael Russ. New York, December 2007, pp. 58-62, published in the series

33⅓ ' (''Thirty-Three and a Third'') is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, RPM. History Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Ba ...

, Continuum. .

Early years – life and work in the 1960s and '70s

Russ moved from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany to the US in 1958 after his father's death to rejoin his mother. They resided in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado. While still in high school he took ballet (Lillian Cushing School of Ballet) and acting lessons and performed locally. On his 17th birthday he enlisted in the US army and spent two and a half years stationed in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

, Germany. After his discharge he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1965, where he attended

Renate Mannhardt Renate Mannhardt (1920–2013) was a German actress. She starred in Peter Lorre's 1951 film ''The Lost One ''The Lost One'' () is a 1951 West German crime drama film directed by Peter Lorre and starring Lorre, Karl John and Renate Mannhardt. ...

acting workshop and began taking pictures of his fellow acting students.

Wilhelmina Cooper Wilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Cooper (née Behmenburg; 11 May 1939 – 1 March 1980) was a Dutch-American model who began with Ford Models, and at the peak of her success, founded her own agency, Wilhelmina Models, in New York City in 1967. Retriev ...

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, New York. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Miami and London. Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina C ...

encouraged him to pursue a career in fashion photography. She sent him models on Go-Sees for test shoots and thus helped him to make his entry into fashion photography.Hillebrand, Rudolf. "Portfolio Michael Russ", ''Fine Art Photo'', Neuss (Germany) 2005, No. 1, pp. 42-49. In 1970 he moved into his own studio off Union Square, right around the corner from

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's art studio in Manhattan, New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famous for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities, and ...

, frequenting

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

, a favorite hang-out for Warhol and his friends as well as upcoming musical legends like

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

. By the early seventies Russ' work had been published with major fashion and lifestyle magazines like ''Mens Wear'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', '' GQ'', and ''True Magazine'', and he contributed erotic fantasy images to three

books: ''Love Games'', ''Sexy Ladies'' and ''Ecstasy''.

Developing a unique photographic approach

In 1976 Michael Russ moved to Paris and continued artistically manipulating his silver gelatin prints, adding hand coloring, masking, and solarization to his black and white, or chemically toned images. Applying these photographic techniques lends a painterly aspect to the grainy black and white images as though they come off the silver screen. This displayed a personal distinctive style, characteristic for his work. By Russ' own accord, his grasp of paintings developed early on through the work of German expressionists like Ludwig Kirchner,

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, drawing, draftsman, printmaker, sculpture, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the m ...

and

Otto Dix Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and Printmaking, printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Alon ...

. In his treatment of color, he especially admired

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

. His work was published in major fashion, lifestyle and avant-garde magazines ''GUNNARS'', ''Mode International'', ''Mode Avant Guarde'', ''PHOTO Magazine'', and ''Zoom'' (photography magazine), as well as German ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', ''Photo Reporter'' and cover art to ''IL Magazine''. He also contributed sequential "sujets de chambre" to ''Vogue'' magazine."Michael Russ ou la beauté du Grain" (Michael Russ or the beauty of grain)
''Vogues Hommes''
November 1980, pp. 82-88, Paris, Condenast. His erotic postcard edition "The Compagnie" became part of the permanent collection of the Musée des arts décoratifs de Paris, an annex to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

museum. The post-productive darkroom work was part to the graphic picture sequence. He incorporated the perforation of 35mm film and visual soundtracks to resemble snippets of motion picture film. Results of these experiments were published as a sequence in ''Vogue Hommes'' under the title "L' initiative au feminine" using fashion as accessories. A portfolio "Michael Russ ou la beaute du grain" was published in ''Vogue Hommes'' in November 1980. He was also the artistic consultant to François Mimet's feature film ''Mme. Claude II'' (US title: ''Intimate Moments''), from Accord Productions in 1981. Roses

Later years - from the '80s to his death

In 1981 Michael relocated to Los Angeles. There he photographed actors and celebrities for the ''

L.A. Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' and ''

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'', but mainly focused on exhibiting his TinTones in large format. His "Prussian Blue" exhibition at the original China Club in 1983 caught the attention of

and

Kathleen Brennan Kathleen Patricia Brennan (born 1955) is an Irish-American musician, songwriter, record producer, and artist. She is known for her work as a co-writer, producer, and influence on the work of her husband Tom Waits. Biography Brennan was born in ...

, Tom's wife. Waits commissioned Russ to create the cover of his new Island-label record ''

'' with a photograph in the TinTone style, featuring himself, Lee Kolima, the strong man and

Angelo Rossitto Angelo Salvatore Rossitto (February 18, 1908 – September 21, 1991) was an American actor and voice artist. He had dwarfism and was tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opposite Lon Chaney a ...

(the mayor of Hollywood). Angelo also premiered in

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of var ...

's 1932 classic '' Freaks'', which "inspired the album's iconic mutant cover art by Michael A. Russ". Russ then became associate director and choreographer on the music video to the song " In the Neighborhood" from that album for

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, closely working with director

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American filmmaker, cinematographer, and documentarian. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice, in 1966 for ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and 1976 for ''Bou ...

. He kept refining his TinTone techniques by creating images using various materials in limited editions and he has exhibited in the US, Europe and Asia. ''Wear magazine'' commissioned him for a showcase entitled "Nella villa di Tamara", in the "TinTone" style of the Canadian theater production ''

TAMARA Tamara may refer to: People * Tamara (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Tamara Macarena Valcárcel Serrano, Spanish singer, also known mononymously as Tamara * Tamara, another stage name of Spanish ...

'', which had a ten-year run at the American Legion. From 1986 to 1995 Russ returned to Germany and focused on fine art photographic work, perfecting his TinTone variations. These were published as portfolios and on the covers of renowned trade and photographic magazines: ''Photo Technik International'', ''Color Foto'', ''

Playgirl ''Playgirl'' is an American magazine that has historically featured pictorials of nude and semi-nude men alongside general interest, lifestyle, celebrity journalism, and original fiction. For most of its history, the magazine printed monthly a ...

'', ''ZOOM'', ''NewMag'', and ''Das Magazin''. In 1992 he worked on a special Fine Art sequence on Robert Wilson's ''

The Black Rider ''The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'' is a self-billed "musical fable" in the avant-garde tradition created through the collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits and writer William S. Burroughs. Wils ...

'' at the

Thalia Theater (Hamburg) The Thalia Theater is one of the three state-owned theatres in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1843 by Charles Maurice Schwartzenberger and named after the muse Thalia (muse), Thalia. Today, it is home to one of Germany's most famous ensembl ...

. In 1995 he resettled in Los Angeles, where he was showcased in

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as '' Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three p ...

's experimental ''RAGE Magazine'',

Larry Flynt Publications Larry Flynt Publications, or LFP, Inc. is an American independent business enterprise that owns, manages and operates the adult entertainment businesses founded by American entrepreneur Larry Flynt. Founded in 1976, two years after Flynt began pu ...

(LFP), featuring a 12-foot python act at the Opium Den. Eroticism, beauty and the allure of the female body is the subject matter of much of Michael Russ' photography. Despite working for the fashion industry and glamour magazines, Russ' photography preserved a raw and edgy aspect and a distinct artistic quality far from glossy surfaces and the idea of a "perfect picture". He directed

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from Crouch End in North London. She has appeared on reality television shows and has occasionally worked as a television presenter and actress. Fox beg ...

' comeback video "The reason is you" for ''Basilea Film''

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, which was shown on music TV channels

and VIVA. In Santa Fe (

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

), where he settled from 1998 to 2000, Russ exhibited large-format TinTone Iris Gicle prints at the Paramount and at Fullers Lodge in Los Alamos. ''Basler Magazin'' (

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

) published a portfolio (Prussian Blue). In 2001 Russ returned to

and since then commuted between the continents (Berlin, New York, Los Angeles), working and exhibiting internationally. ''

'' magazine (Germany) and ''Fine Art Photo'' magazine published showcases and biographical portraits. In 2007 Russ first introduced and exhibited limited editions of large-scale Silver/Industrial TinTones in

, for which he received critical acclaim. A critic of major German newspaper ''

Die Welt (, ) is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group and it is considered a newspaper of record in Germany. Its leading competitors are the ...

'' compared his erotic photography to the work of

Helmut Newton Helmut Newton (né Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''The New York Times, New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically ch ...

(having shared some of his photographic models in the late 1970s) and highlighted his creative use of color and layering techniques in his TinTones. In 2012 he had an exhibition with his TinTones in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. In 2013 Russ' large-scale TinTone Industrials were featured at the ''Berlin Fotofestival The Browse''.

Exhibitions

* 1980: ''Musee des Arts Decoratifs (

Annex, Paris)''. "Postcard edition The Compagnie". * 1983: ''China Club'', Los Angeles. "Prussian Blue". Large format R prints. * 1998: ''L.A. Gallery'', Los Angeles. Group exhibition. * 1999: ''The Image House'', Santa Fe N.M. " Iris Giclee Prints". * 2000: ''Fullers Lodge'', Los Alamos N.M. " Iris Giclee Prints", group exhibition. * 2000: ''The Paramount'', Santa Fe N.M. "TinTones". * 2003: ''Soho Gallery'', Los Angeles, " Iris Giclee Prints and silver gelatine -"TinTones", group exhibition. * 2007: ''Fine Arts-Con.Tra Salongalerie, Berlin''. "TinTones", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial. * 2007: ''Galerie Nadania Idriss, Berlin''. "TinTones", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial. * 2008: ''Art Center Berlin''. "TinTones", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial. * 2009: ''Galerie Lucas Carrieri (Berlin)''. "TinTones", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial. * 2011: ''Art Center Berlin''. "TinTones. Rough Print", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial. * 2012: ''Art Place Seoul'', South Corea. "TinTones. Rough Print", large format Lambda Prints. * 2013: Retrospektive: Fotografien von Michael A. Russ, 1973 – 2013. "06:00 AM … positive/negatives…" * 2013: ''Station Berlin'', ''Berlin Fotofestival The Browse 2013''. "TinTones", large format AluDiBonds/Silver/Industrial.Website Berlin Fotofestival Michael Russ TinTones exhibition page
Retrieved 2018-03-11.

References

External links