LOS ANGELES, Oct 16, 2004/ FW/ --- Through the lens of a camera William Claxton has viewed and captured mysterious and gripping realms of Jazz musicians, actors unveiled, and the fashion artistry of Rudi Gerneich intimately portrayed by his wife Peggy Moffitt.

From fuzzy logic black and white, to crisp perfectly lit colored photographs; from candid to the precisely planned, Claxton’s range and talent as a photographer is apparent in his 50 year retrospective held at the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, September 9th through October 16th.

When I took my first tour of the gallery the photograph that stuck out in my mind was the shadowy portrait of Charlie “Bird” Parker, La Crescenta, 1951.

Just looking at this photograph you can hear low-toned jazz emitting from the image as he plays. I was approached by another guest Jeff, he asked, “Which one do you want, I’ll buy it for you?” I was going to point to the Charlie “Bird” Parker photograph but I knew Jeff’s offer was in jest so replied, “I need to look and study further.” He said, “Okay, why don’t you pick out your three favorites.” I decided to make it a mission.

I headed back to the section with photographs of Peggy Moffitt exquisitely playing the muse and live mannequin for Rudi Gernreich’s often times futuristic fashion designs.

Moffitt was standing in the middle of this room, and I couldn’t help thinking, “What is black and white and read all over?” The answer to the child’s riddle of course is, “A Newspaper.”

She was dressed in the black-and-white Lycra “typeface” dress with matching stockings and silk signature scarf designed by Gernreich for Fall 1968.

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