Vanity Fair September 2020 : Breonna Taylor by Amy Sherald

[vogue28]

Guest-edited by Ta-Nehisi Coates:

 

[MON]

As much as I appreciate the effort, I don't find comfort in the fact that they're profiting off of her. Unless this is for free, my stance remains the same as that of her O Magazine cover.

 

[KoV]

As much as I appreciate the effort, I don't find comfort in the fact that they're profiting off of her. Unless this is for free, my stance remains the same as that of her O Magazine cover.

That’s an interesting point and I never thought about it from that angle. Vanity Fair could perhaps make a donation to a worthy cause In Breonna’s name, as a show of good faith.



The cover itself is beautifully rendered, very striking.

 

[JPineapple]

This is a gorgeous illustration. 100% sure that in print would be striking. This is exactly what Anna should have done. A win for me.

 

[Marc10]

As much as I appreciate the effort, I don't find comfort in the fact that they're profiting off of her. Unless this is for free, my stance remains the same as that of her O Magazine cover.

Personally I don't see it as exploration, I see more as a celebration. So much has been said about her death (and the ones who murdered her), but it's also important to celebrate her life, which is what it looks like they'll be doing. With Ta-Nehisi being the guest editor, I'm confident it was done tastefully and thoughtfully.

 

[BlueRuin]

Beautiful colors

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Now this is how you do an illustration cover, beautiful, and sad, but will be buying this for sure.

 

[mepps]

Absolute gorgeous illustration! Beautiful cover.
However, I'm pretty sure that this will sell 10 copies at the newsstand, and those who receive it in the mail
will spend 30 seconds reading about her life, before tossing it away. The VF reader is just not interested.
I'm also getting irritated by mainstream fashion and lifestyle magazines, using black pain and suffering to push
their new woke agenda. I love seeing a black woman on the cover of VF, but I prefer a live one, whose achievements we can celebrate.

 

[Benn98]

The cover as a whole looks very unfinished, maybe it's all the negative space. And the actual artwork looks very much like the Vector illustrations you see in every wannabe hipster magazine or website right now.

I didn't think of VF and O Magazine profiting off Breonna Taylor, but ultimately that's the uncomfortable truth. In Oprah's defense, I'm sure the amount of money she must've paid for those billboard placements would be offset against newsstand sales because billboard advertising is ridiculously expensive.
Maybe these magazines should donate a percentage of their takings to a solidarity fund, or the victim's family should consider setting up a foundation to take control of her image. I mean, how different is it to Youtube channels who make thousands of dollars off viral videos, also under the guise of 'bringing awareness to the issue'.

Interestingly enough the cover feature of Wired's September issue is about TikTokers profiteering off black culture.

 

[8eight]

The colours are very 'Tiffanys'.

 

[lucy92]

The cover as a whole looks very unfinished, maybe it's all the negative space. And the actual artwork looks very much like the Vector illustrations you see in every wannabe hipster magazine or website right now.
.

Negative space is Sherald's style - see her Michelle Obama Portrait.

I love this painting and i think it is very clever of Vogue and VF to commission these artists. Perhaps they pay upfront for them, secure ownership and can flip them years later at auction for millions more than they paid the artist. In the meantime they can use them as collateral in financial transactions.

Sherald and John Currin are artists of significant cultural value. It's not unimaginable to think that Currin's painting of Jennifer Lawrence that Vogue commissioned could go for 4 millions dollars or more.

 

[KoV]

Negative space is Sherald's style - see her Michelle Obama Portrait.

I love this painting and i think it is very clever of Vogue and VF to commission these artists. Perhaps they pay upfront for them, secure ownership and can flip them years later at auction for millions more than they paid the artist. In the meantime they can use them as collateral in financial transactions.

Sherald and John Currin are artists of significant cultural value. It's not unimaginable to think that Currin's painting of Jennifer Lawrence that Vogue commissioned could go for 4 millions dollars or more.

I could be interpreting it incorrectly, but Amy Sherald said she made the painting for Breonna’s family. I don’t know if she meant the painting Itself is actually gifted to them, but if so that would be a beautiful gesture.

 

[Urban Stylin]

Now this perfectly works for a cover considering the subject also the colours are beautiful.

 

[dfl-001]

The negative space is effective. Draws you straight to the subject, Breonna.
The cover is beautiful and with Ta-Nehisi as guest editor, I agree with Marc10, less exploitive and more to bring attention to this woman's life and murder.
Vanity Fair use to do regular in depth 'crime and justice' stories so this is a completely appropriate subject and cover.

 

[Lola701]

It’s beautiful but I don’t know what to think. I’m slightly uncomfortable tbh...
This is VF, not TIME magazine...
The magazine itself is important in the context, no matter how hard we want everybody to stand and be political about it.

What are they going to do if Social Media ask for them to give the money related to the issue to the family?

 

[axiomatic]

Personally I don't see it as exploration, I see more as a celebration. So much has been said about her death (and the ones who murdered her), but it's also important to celebrate her life, which is what it looks like they'll be doing. With Ta-Nehisi being the guest editor, I'm confident it was done tastefully and thoughtfully.

Agreed. One of the rare guest-edited issues I'm looking forward to. Getting Coates (and Jesmyn Ward) as contributing editors is a major coup for Radhika Jones.

 

[Lola701]

Personally I don't see it as exploration, I see more as a celebration. So much has been said about her death (and the ones who murdered her), but it's also important to celebrate her life, which is what it looks like they'll be doing. With Ta-Nehisi being the guest editor, I'm confident it was done tastefully and thoughtfully.

Even if it’s done with taste, we all know that people on social media don’t read magazines, don’t buy magazines and surely don’t even flip the pages of a magazine at their local mall or whatever...
Most of the opinions are based on assumptions. Are they going to see beyond that? Beyond this cover?

 

[Marc10]

Even if it’s done with taste, we all know that people on social media don’t read magazines, don’t buy magazines and surely don’t even flip the pages of a magazine at their local mall or whatever...
Most of the opinions are based on assumptions. Are they going to see beyond that? Beyond this cover?

Well looking at the comments on Instagram and Twitter they seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Even if folks don't read the magazine and only see the cover, the cover is still a beautiful tribute to Breonna and it helps keeping her memory alive.

 

[YohjiAddict]

Totally agree with Benn, I don't think that the illustration is very good, anyone who's dabbled in digital art will tell you this lacks contrast, her body looks a bit flat because the shading is too timid...commendable effort to bring awareness to the injustices she suffered but I agree that it clashes with Vanity Fair's identity as the go to place for high gossip and frivolous fodder.

 

[mikel]

Totally agree with Benn, I don't think that the illustration is very good, anyone who's dabbled in digital art will tell you this lacks contrast, her body looks a bit flat because the shading is too timid...commendable effort to bring awareness to the injustices she suffered but I agree that it clashes with Vanity Fair's identity as the go to place for high gossip and frivolous fodder.

But it’s not an illustration and it isn’t digital art. It’s an actual painting.