In 1967 Irving Penn photographed in Dahomey Africa, now the Republic of Benin, for Vogue. This unique body comprises three main areas: a selection of stark landscapes - the grass plain villages with their distinctive huts, coastal settlements and fishermen on lagoons; the spiritual mud sculptures of the deity Legba, a trickster god, with fierce expressions; and last his iconic portraits of the tribes people themselves.
Whilst he photographed the Legba sculptures in situ, Penn constructed a portable studio to capture the likeness of the villagers. A neutral backdrop and natural light set the stage on which the villagers are presented; a visual-nowhere that Penn was instrumental in popularising as a staple of fashion photography. Penn's compositions, organised scientifically and sculpturally - he would often walk up to the subject and set arms and legs in position - present both order and simplicity typical of his "signature blend of classical elegance and cool minimalism", Andy Grundberg, International Herald Tribune; and this particular body of work visibly influenced his later fashion photography, most notably for Issey Miyake.
The sculptures, which prominently stood at the entrance to villages and outside houses in the south of Dahomey, are shrines of active cults devoted to the god Legba. The seventh and youngest born of Mawu, Legba was the linguist of the gods and the personification of the philosophical accident, the 'way out' in a world ruled by destiny. Penn noted that these clay models adorned with feathers, shells or stones for eyes, horns, teeth and an unusually large wooden phallus were presented daily with gifts of cloth, ornaments and precious objects in order to win his favour; he also documented that it was a common ritual to smear the effigies with red palm oil mixed with the blood of sacrificed chickens or goats, whilst egg yolks were spread on and around them. Given their size, Penn did nothing to change the Legba sculptures' environment, they were too fragile to move nor would it have been permitted bearing in mind their sacred status. "The power of these pictures lies in his own emotional connection with the work, his ability to encapsulate those feeling in the images, and to manifest them in the riveting colour prints.", Anne Wilkes Tucker, Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Working both in colour and black and white, Penn was unique in maximising the qualities of each. The vibrant shades and bold patterns of costumes and body paint command our attention in the colour pictures; whereas the linear flow of the postures prevail in the more sombre black and white platinum prints acutely highlighting Penn's personal style and control.