Gjon Mi (November 28, 1904 to February 14, 1984), was an American photographer from Albania. His work appeared in Life. He photographed Pablo Picasso and other artists.
Born to Vasil Mili and Viktori Cekani in Korce, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Albania). Mili was born in Romania and attended Gheorghe Lazar National College, Bucharest. He then emigrated to the United States in 1923. In 1939, Mili started to work as a photographer for Life (a position he held until he died in 1984). Over the years his assignments took him to the Riviera (Picasso); to Prades, France (Pau Casals in exile); to Israel (Adolf Eichmann in captivity); to Florence, Athens, Dublin, Berlin, Venice, Rome, and to Hollywood to photograph celebrities and artists, sports events, concerts, sculptures and architecture.
Gjon Mili, who worked with Harold Eugene Edgerton at MIT was a pioneer in using stroboscopic tools to capture a series of actions in one photo. Gjon Mili, a self-taught photographer and engineer, was the first to use electronic flash and to create photos that were more than just scientifically interesting. Many of his notable images revealed the beautiful intricacy and graceful flow of movement too rapid or complex for the naked eye to discern. In the mid-1940s he was an assistant to the photographer Edward Weston.
In 1944, he directed the short film Jammin’ the Blues, which was made at Warner Bros., and features performances by Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, “Big” Sid Catlett, Illinois Jacquet, Barney Kessel, Jo Jones and Marie Bryant. Mili did not serve as cinematographer for the film (Robert Burks did) but the film used multiplied images that in many ways recall the multi-image still-frames done with the strobe. The imaginative use of the camera makes this film a minor landmark in the way that musicians have been filmed.
Over the span of over four decades, thousands more of his photographs were published by and other publications.
Mili died of pneumonia in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 79.
Gjon Mili (November 28, 1904 – February 14, 1984) was an American photographer of Albanian origin best known for his work published in Life, in which he photographed artists such as Pablo Picasso.
Table of Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 References
- 3 External links
- 3.1 Picasso's Third Dimension
- 3.2 Gjon Mili: Photographs and Recollections
- 3.3 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 2
- 3.4 Photo Drummer Gene Krupa Drummer Gjon Mili's Studio
- 3.5 PHOTO 167 ROMEO MARTINEZ KERTESZ STRIP-TEASE AMATEUR CHICAGO GJON MILI OBSCURS
- 3.6 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 1
- 3.7 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 2
- 3.8 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 2
- 3.9 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 1
- 3.10 Gjon Mili Jam Session, Pt. 1
Biography
Born to Vasil Mili and Viktori Cekani in Korce, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Albania). Mili was born in Romania and attended Gheorghe Lazar National College, Bucharest. He then emigrated to the United States in 1923. Mili began his career as a photographer at Life in 1939. He held that position until his death in 1984. Over the years his assignments took him to the Riviera (Picasso); to Prades, France (Pau Casals in exile); to Israel (Adolf Eichmann in captivity); to Florence, Athens, Dublin, Berlin, Venice, Rome, and to Hollywood to photograph celebrities and artists, sports events, concerts, sculptures and architecture.
Working with Harold Eugene Edgerton of MIT, Gjon Mili was a pioneer in the use of stroboscopic instruments to capture a sequence of actions in one photograph. Gjon Mili, a self-taught photographer and engineer, was the first to use electronic flash and to create photos that were more than just scientifically interesting. Many of his notable images revealed the beautiful intricacy and graceful flow of movement too rapid or complex for the naked eye to discern. He was Edward Weston’s assistant in the mid-1940s.
He directed the 1944 short film Jammin’ the Blues at Warner Bros. It featured performances by Lester Young and Red Callender, Harry Edison and “Big” Sid Catlett. Mili was not the cinematographer of the film, Robert Burks did. However, the film featured multiplied images that resemble the multi-image still frames made with the strobe. The imaginative use of the camera makes this film a minor landmark in the way that musicians have been filmed.
Over the span of over four decades, thousands more of his photographs were published by and other publications.
Mili died of pneumonia in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 79.
References
External links
Last update 2021-08-06