Patti Smith: American Artist

Frank always shot your internal life. He let your external imperfections show. His photos had a purity and poetry; there was some humor… -Bruce Springsteen

Patti Smith was a favorite photographic subject for Frank Stefanko during his college years. Patti had jet-black hair and pale blue eyes that could see right through you. When I visited New York, I started photographing Patti, I was captivated by her look … tall, thin, with porcelain skin, sharp features, and those piercing eyes. With me, in terms of portraits, it’s always the eyes first, then the rest of the face comes into view.
Patti Smith came to prominence during the punk rock movement in the 1970s, with her highly regarded 1975 debut album, Horses. She has been called punk rock’s poet laureate because of her feminist sensibilities and intellectual approach to her music. As a result, she is one of rock and roll’s most influential female musicians, and according to Rolling Stone, one of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.