ANTON CORBIJN

Anton Corbijn is a son of an extremely religious Calvinist preacher (dominee, in Dutch) who will mark his professional life very deeply. In the interview from which I got this info (it's on the DVD The work of Director) Anton says that because of the paternal influence right, he can't do things that have the purpose of entertaining (real words). Bono from U2, says that Anton looks at the pleasure with guilty eyes, but he can sees the good and the bad very clearly (real words).
Life on his island of birth, looks boring and for this reason everything that happens outside, seems bigger than what it really is. In 1964 the Beatles played in Holland, and this increased his sense of distance from the world, which contributes to developing him a bigger interest for music.
He made his first important photos in 1972 for the Solution, his passion for photography starts from here and then he approached to the stage. Five years later, consacration arrives. A shot of Elvis Costello arrived in the boss' hands of New Musical Express, which understood its artistic value and therefore he decided to employ him. Many people saw Anton's photos and therefore his career as bands' photographer started. He reached his goal.
Since he was making the album's covers as well as the photos, he was suggested to take care of the videos too.
His most important work was the Joy Division, of which he contacted them as soon as he got to England. He asked to take pictures of them, and the band accepted. Six years later, the same Joy Division asked him to make a video after the disappearance of their singer, Ian Curtis. At first he said no, because to do so he should have mainly used other photographers' photos. But, at the end, he accepted because of the band's persistences. He used the photos made in the past and Atmosphere came out. It was the only video that Anton did from the point of view of a fan.
In 2007 Control comes out. It is his first full length movie, obviously done in B/W, dedicated to his favourite band. It is based on the book Touching from a Distance, written by Ian's widow, Deborah, and published in 1995. I do personally suggest to read it.
In 1984, Anton worked for the Propaganda, the video was broadcasted on TV and therefore other artists contacted him.
Two years later, another turn took place in his artistic life. Having no money, Anton was left on the set with no cameraman, so he had to make video by himself. This led him to become a director.
And now we get the point. In 1981, he met the Depeche Mode. He should have taken some pictures for the NME cover (a famous music magazine that is still published nowadays). Martin Gore says that at first Anton probably didn't like them because of their music genre, which was absolutely pop. Music that didn't agree with his taste. Anton defined them as teenyboppers...
Dave Gahan still remembers that first meeting because his excitement for having been on the cover of NME vanished when he saw the photo. In the picture Dave was in front of the other bands' members (Martin, Fletch and Vince), they were perfectly in focus, but Dave was only an unclear shape in the foreground. And again, with Dave's disappointment, Anton repeated the same trick in 1997 with the album's cover, Ultra.
Martin always says that what he loves in Anton's video, is their being completely abstracted. The videos don't follow the songs' lyrics, the connection is in a deeper level (real words always from The work of Director's DVD).
A member of the New Order, says that he doesn't seek the relation between lyrics and video, but he simply follow the music, and this brings to a greater depth.
I totally agree with this. Thinking about the connection between words and images, you waste your time and don't enjoy the song neither the video. Often, this relation doesn't exist! I think that it's normal, because the video's director isn't in the shoes of who created the lyrics, so... how could he talk about it with images? It would be a personal interpretation still, maybe opposite to the real intentions of the songwriter.
In 1986 another turn. He has being asked to make the video of A Question of Time. He accepted (fortunately for us Devouts!) because he liked the idea to make a kind of road movie around America, where at that time the Depeche were doing some concerts. It was a good oppurtunity for Anton to make a project that he wanted to accomplish from a long time. At this point their collaboration started and it is still alive up to now.
The video for Suffer Well is signed by Anton and he also took care of Hourglass' (the last Gahan's solo album) photography and logo.
Exciter's cover (a Depeche's album of 2001) was signed by him and as well the stages for the Exciter, Devotional and also Playing the Angel Tour. Not counting that he was the director for some concerts' videos. And this is only a little part of his work for and with Depeche Mode!
His artistic carnet grows with the New Order, Nick Cave, Coldplay, U2, Travis, Nirvana, Metallica, David Sylvian, Echo and the Bunnymen.
His sensitivity brought us beautiful photos and portraits (not only dedicated to Depeche Mode) collected in books like Famouz (1989), Strangers (1991), Star Trak (1996), Everybody Hurts (2003).
He prefers mainly to shot in B/W, his pictures are harsh and grainy and sometimes they seem engraved on stone. However, they never are banal and predictable.
So, if you want to know something more about him, this is his official site.
Also, for a detailed view about his works, this site could give it to you.
But, if you really like to establish by yourself his value, I would suggest to take a look to A work of Director (that I have intensly plunged), it's a good overview of his life and his works with various artists. The book that accompanies the dvd is also very beautiful.
There would be a lot more to say about him as an artist and not only in connection with the Devotion, but I would risk to fall off to the most noxious servility!