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

Swordfishtrombones ''Swordfishtrombones'' is the eighth studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, released in 1983 on Island Records. It was the first album that Waits produced himself. 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 the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

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, evolving 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 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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

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, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century. Its name denotes ...

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 books. He soon experimented with distinctive photographic techniques, turning 35mm 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 ''

33 1/3 (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 The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph ...

'', ''Continuum''..

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

Russ moved from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

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

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 2.1/2 years stationed in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

, Germany. After his discharge he moved to New York City in 1965 where he attended

Renate Mannhardt Renate Mannhardt (1920–2013) was a German actress. She starred in Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States ...

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

Wilhelmina Cooper Wilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Cooper (née Behmenburg; 1 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 ...

of ''

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a full service modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, United States. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. Founded in 196 ...

'' 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 Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, right around the corner from

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

and ''

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

'' , 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 Decembe ...

'', 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 professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

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

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

. 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 gentlema ...

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

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: "Love Games", "Sexy Ladies" and "Ecstasy".

Developing a unique photographic approach

In 1976 Michael Russ moved to Paris and continued with artistically manipulating his silver gelatin prints. Adding hand coloring and 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. Thus displaying a very 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, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920 ...

and

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

. In his treatment of color, he especially admired

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall; russian: link=no, Марк Заха́рович Шага́л ; be, Марк Захаравіч Шагал . (born Moishe Shagal; 28 March 1985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with se ...

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

Playboy (magazine) ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. Kn ...

'', ''Photo Reporter'' and cover art to ''IL Magazine''. He also contributed sequential 'sujets de chambre' to

Vogue magazine ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogue ...

"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 the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

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"), ''Accord Productions'' 1981. Roses

Later years - from the 80s to the present

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

L.A. Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

and

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

, 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 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 Cork, ...

, 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 2'11" (89 cm) tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opp ...

'' (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 vari ...

's 1932 classic '

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

' 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 ''In the Neighborhood'' is a song by Tom Waits appearing on his 1983 album ''Swordfishtrombones''. It released as a single in October 1983 by Island Records. Accolades (*) designates unordered lists. Formats and track listing All songs w ...

" from that album for

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, closely working with director

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler, ASC (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the Int ...

. 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 which had a ten-year run at the American Legion. 1986 -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'', ''ZOOM'', ''NewMag'', ''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. Wil ...

' 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. Today, it is home to one of Germany's most famous ensembles and stages a ...

. 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 por ...

's experimental "RAGE Magazine",

Larry Flynt Publications Larry Flynt Publications, or LFP, Inc. is an American 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 publishing ''H ...

(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 East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...

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

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

which was shown on music TV channels

and

VIVA Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * ...

. In Santa Fe (

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

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

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

) published a portfolio (Prussian Blue). In 2001 Russ returned to Berlin and has since been commuting between the continents (

, New York, Los Angeles), working and exhibiting internationally. ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' 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 ''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. ''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the ''Frankfurter Allg ...

'', compared his erotic photography to the work of

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

(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 known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...

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