Before Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe became the artists perhaps most freely associated withhorses and the color grey respectively, they were as the title of Smith’s 2010 memoir about her relationship with the late photographer suggests, just kids. In hindsight they were obviously not just any kids, mind, but two precocious if not borderline destitute (as in the case of Smith) young artists living together as lovers in the Chelsea Hotel starting in 1969 and into the early 1970s. Mapplethorpe had not yet come out and as such was open to a relationship with Smith whom according to accounts first met him clerking at Brentano’s when she sold him a necklace and pendant. Together Patti Smith and and Robert Mapplethorpe inspired and informed each other at the formative stages of their nascent careers and some decades later provided the inspiration for an exceptional story in VMAN 20 called “Patti + Robert.”
The editorial which features Ford Men’s Christian Brylle and his Danish compatriot Freja Beha Erichsenis exceptional for a number of reasons and not the least being its photographer, Christian Brylle. We knew Christian was a photographer, but come on, this ain’t no male-model-with-passing-interest-in-taking-pictures type story, nay, this is heavy and easily the stand out editorial of the issue. Carefully styled by George Cortina the story features minimal clothing and maximal accessories in the form of necklaces, belts, bangles, rings, feathers, etc. Considering that this page last saw Christian jumping off a cardboard box in the journal, it’s no surprise that he’s taken matters into his own hands.
Technically the portraits are everything they should be considering their inclusion in VMAN, but more than that they capture the subjects warmly in a way that can often elude even the most accomplished photographer. The chemistry between Freja and Christian is uncanny and hopefully it’s not the last time we see them together in front of a camera. Models, photographers, hell, even editors, be on high alert, Christian Brylle is the genuine article.
