Anton Corbijn’s Visual Poetry of Music

Some photographers capture moments; Anton Corbijn created identities. His work defined the visual language of entire generations of musicians and artists, turning photographs into lived experiences. To talk about the look of modern music is, in many ways, to talk about Corbijn.

With his moody black and white photography he almost creates different atmospheres for each of the subject he works with. Each photograph tells a different story. He has a way of shooting in such a raw, intimate way that reveals the mask of the artist’s persona: Leaving us face to face with their realest self.  

Anton Corbijn is a lot of things: A photographer, a filmmaker, a creative director, a stage designer… But most importantly he’s a visual architect of famous bands. Acting as a bridge between music and visuality. Granting bands like Depeche Mode and U2 their own aesthetic universe.

In the early 70s, he was just a band geek taking pictures of musicians performing at local concerts in the Netherlands with his father’s camera. For him, his photography was a way of getting closer to the music, not a career. The ritualistic performance of music mesmerized him and he sought to preserve it through his lens. His career took of in 1979 when he moved to London and became a photographer for the NME magazine: Photographing bands like Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen. His photographs blurred the line between the artists’ personas and their real selves: Unveiling tales upon tales frame by frame. From there, it was only natural that his mastery of visual storytelling would expand into the moving image: Directing music videos.

“I make stars look interesting, not beautiful”

Anton Corbijn 

If you love the ‘90s music video aesthetic you probably owe it to Anton Corbijn. He directed most of U2 and Depeche Mode’s music videos, worked with Nirvana, Metallica, Joy Division, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Echo & the Bunnymen, Front 242, Coldplay, The Killers… His somber, hauntingly dramatic, sacral aesthetic aligned seamlessly with these bands’ music and the imagery of their songs.

It’s clear that music is a big inspiration for him. His work flourishes when he artistically connects with a band and their sound. He didn’t stop creating for music with just music videos, band photoshoots, stage photographs, musician portraits or album cover designs. He also worked beyond his lens: Designed stages for Depeche Mode and U2. These stages, paired with the projections he created specifically for each song, connected spiritually with the bands and transformed the concerts into almost religious experiences. And because he also filmed these performances, even those who couldn’t be there in person can still share in this sacred spectacle.

Anton Corbijn’s visual additions to music give songs a multi-dimensional quality, transforming them from something to be merely heard into experiences to be lived by the audience. And maybe that’s the ultimate question his work leaves us with: Music alone can move us but with can it transcend us?