Let’s Talk About Ryan McGinley: the Mastermind Behind Brad Pitt’s Epic GQ Photos
The Internet is raging about Ryan McGinley, the photographer behind Brad Pitt’s GQ covers this week.
Known for his electric lo-fi images of young people (who are usually naked) being reckless and free in the wilderness, this new series of Brad has brought Ryan to a whole other level.
But he’s shot numerous celebrities before for numerous publications, so what makes this different?
The photographs are set in three national parks: the Floridian swamps of the Everglades, the crystalline dunes at White Sands and the crepuscular caves of Carlsbad Caverns, the latter of which are both in New Mexico.
As Priscilla Frank wrote on the Huffington Post, “Although [Brad Pit] rejected the term midlife crisis [in the interview] Pitt is clearly going through a major life transition, one suffused with both pain and possibility. McGinley’s photos similarly reflect the complexity of this moment. From a certain angle, the artist captures Pitt as aged, gaunt and weary, his tumbling body appearing like a folkloric hermit who, after wandering too long, has finally collapsed. From another angle, however, Pitt appears almost adolescent ― his frame lanky and awkward, his tattooed body hunting for meaning or any roadsigns he can find. The images present Pitt as changing and imperfect, aging yet with much to learn.”
She continued: “People are, in part, so obsessed with this shoot because we so rarely see celebrities ― especially middle-age male heartthrobs ― presented in this light: awkward, struggling, sad, a little goofy, trying something new and at times failing. In one photo Pitt is literally tearing up!”
We can’t help but agree with Priscilla.