Annie Leibovitz the Sopranos Family Portrait

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Annie Leibovitz The Sopranos Family Portrait By Lisa Roe In this essay we will analyse a photograph by Annie Leibovitz. The image is a commercial poster for the Sopranos season 5 DVD taken in 1999: Hell hath no fury like the family. We will examine what is thought to be the inspiration behind the photo; The Barque of Dante by Eugene Delacroix, oil on canvas, 1822, which is displayed at the Louvre in Paris. The Barque of Dante meaning Although inspired by the mythological tradition, the subject of the work is the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). In the Divine Comedy (1306-21), Dante recounts his poetic visit to Hell, guided by Virgil. The Divine Comedy is divided into three parts: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante's voyage begins in Hell in the company of the Roman poet, passing through nine successive circles on his way to meet Beatrice, who will guide him through Paradise. In this scene, Dante and Virgil, piloted by Phlegyas, cross the lake surrounding the infernal city of Dis; the souls of the damned writhe in the water, trying to escape their fate by hanging onto the boat. Annie Leibovitz was one of 6 children born in Westbury, Connecticut on the 2nd of October 1949. Her father was a lieutenant in the air force, which meant the family would frequently move from base to base. Whilst stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War, Annie bought her first camera and took photos around the barracks. Her mother, a modern dance instructor, documented the family with photographs as often as she could. So much so that the camera became a part of the family. Later, Annie convinced her parents to let her study as a painter at the San Francisco art institute. She took a workshop in photography and she says, “It just clicked with me”. From here she went to work at the then fledgling Rolling Stone magazine in 1970

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