Lee McQueen: The Artist in His Studio

1628, Rembrant created ‘An Artist in his Studio’, the room is bare and we see nothing but the artist and his work, the work is indiscernible but its presence and creativity cannot be denied

Nearly 400 years later in 1989 photographer Derrick Santini took a triptych of (Alexander) Lee McQueen, The Artist, in his Studio.

 

The pair (Santini & McQueen) became friends through their dogs (as all great friends meet) resulting in a long lasting friendship and some beautiful photos of McQueen and Juice, his beautiful English bull terrier, the vintage triptych has become one of those photos of McQueen that you can’t escape, from books to documentaries Santini’s capturing of Lee has truly been embraced by the creative community as capturing the heart, soul and humanity of one of history’s most incredible fashion designers, the likes of whom have not been seen again.

For me it’s the eyes, in Rembrandt’s creation our artist’s eyes are two black dots, no pits, indiscernible of individually and thus reflecting ourselves as the viewer back onto him, is he looking at his canvas or beyond it? Out to us?
The same is clear for Lee McQueen, he boldly meets our gaze, challenging us to look back and connect with him on a personal and intimate level, his creations, while present, are unclear, but undeniably a part of him, almost coming from his mind maybe even meaning he looks past us through the lens and through time and is somewhere else, lost in his imagination and creations.

Or perhaps The Artist in His Studio refers not to McQueen at the artist but to Derrick Santini. The artist in His studio, for what is also undeniably true is that Derrick Santini’s photography are Art.