Dali
Ben Gurion
"Arnold Newman, Master Class," at the
Contemporary Jewish Museum
(CJM): Nobody will be able to accuse Arnold Newman of promoting a
simplistic or easily recognizable brand. An influential 20th century
portrait photographer, "Arnold Newman: Masterclass" at the CJM presents
some of his most famous portraits as well as numerous works which have
never before been shown in public.
Martha Graham
Divided
into 10 sections that delineate Newman's various approaches – the
extensive exhibition, which is too much to take in at one visit, expands
on how he thought and practiced his craft. Empathetic and sympathetic,
he never descends to romantic cliche or facile glamor.
Henry Miller
Newman
found his vision in the empathy he felt for artists and their work.
Although he photographed many famous personalities—Marlene Dietrich,
John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Arthur
Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Mantle, and Audrey
Hepburn—he maintained that even if the subject is not known, or is
already forgotten, the photograph itself must still excite and interest
the viewer. He sought to capture the person in their environment,
avoiding the staged cliches of other photographers.
Marilyn Monroe
A
vulnerable Marilyn Monroe has never been photographed with such
delicate understanding or the grand diva of dance, Martha Graham, with
such respect for her icy power.
"I didn't just want to
make a photograph with some things in the background," Newman told
American Photo magazine in an interview. "The surroundings had to add to
the composition and the understanding of the person. No matter who the
subject was, it had to be an interesting photograph. Just to simply do a
portrait of a famous person doesn't mean a thing."
"We
want to show another side of Newman," said co-curator Todd Brandow.
"There's a whole body of his work that hasn't been explored. For the
first time we're getting into the way he worked. He kept his secrets to
himself, but we had access to his archives."
The first
major exhibition of the photographer's work since his death, "Arnold
Newman: Masterclass" examines the evolution of his singular vision.
Contemporary Jewish Museum. Through Feb 2015.
The Haring show is bound to be enormously popular - jazzy, brightly cartoon figures, all fun and games. But Arnold Newman's photos require much more attention and should not be missed.
More about Keith Haring, Mark di Suvero and Udo Nöger at
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-week-ahead-keith-haring-arnold-newman-and-more?CID=examiner_alerts_article
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