Arnold Newman
Arnold Newman, David Ben-Gurion, 1967
Arnold Newman is an American photographer well recognised for his Environmental portraiture, particularly those exploring the relationships between his subjects and their professions.
Many of his works seem to be shot in this kind of front on viewpoint which has this sense of directedness about them. It works well to really pull the viewer into the subject and help contextualise them somehow. Each image is tactful in its use of props and surroundings, with his goal of representing their skills as a priority. Newman said of his sitters, “it is what they are, not who they are, that fascinates me,” (Arnold Newman | Photographer’s Biography & Art Works n.d.). His 1945 exhibition ‘Artists look like this’, held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is a strong example of all this.
Whilst many other, ‘on-site’ photographers from his age shot quite candid photographs, Newman’s hold so much structure and intention. Beyond his posed compositions, he also famously laments that his label of environmental portraiture photographer often overlooks other aspects of his approach, which is also “symbolic and impressionistic…” (Newman, A, early 1980s). The richness of his narratives certainly exhibits these qualities.
Arnold Newman, Igor Stravinsky, 1946
In 1946, Newman would capture one of his most iconified images. A portrait of renowned composer, Igor Stravinsky beside a piano. Newman uses the piano in this portrait as an emblem for Stravinsky’s career and passion.
Arnold Newman, Pablo Picasso in his studio,1956
On the photograph Newman (n.d) once stated:
“I had already photographed musical instruments, in part, and in whole. Suddenly, I realized that I had been admiring the shape of a piano, and it hit me: the piano shape – strong, hard, sharp, linear, beautiful in its strong, harsh way – was really the echo of Stravinsky's work, his own music... “ (Binet 2023)
Artwork Analysis
This image employs the principle of contrast highly effectively. With the piano restricted to a rich silhouette, it becomes somewhat abstracted, stripping back all detail and emphasising its shape, which appears to resemble a musical note – symbolic to the sitter.
Relying on the silhouette, Newman employs the use of leading lines in the form of the piano’s stand which creates a strong diagonal drawing the viewers eye directly to the subject in the corner of the frame. This line when combined with the overall shape of the piano generates a golden spiral as well which pulls viewers through the image in a purposeful but relaxed way.
In terms of visual hierarchy within this photograph the viewers eye first seems to hit the piano lid, where the greatest amount of tonal contrast appears, the eye then follows the stand down to the figure before continuing around the image where the triangle generated creates a kind of visual loop.
Arnold Newman, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1947
Arnold Newman, Man Ray, Paris, 1960
Shooting this image front on works really well in terms of really directing the viewers focus straight onto both piano and figure, and this angle also really highlights the abstracted musical note shape formed by the piano lid.
The use of split lighting on the sitter’s face casts sculpting shadows across his features giving him a sense of depth and form that the rest of the image (largely the piano) doesn’t have. This emphasises his expression and creates greater interest within the overall image.
Arnold Newman, David Hockney, London, 1978
I have drawn inspiration from Newman for a while now and had him at the forefront of my brain when shooting, particularly considering his compositional techniques and intentional styling. I think this is particularly evident when looking at my portrait of Jess from Wootten. In each of my portraits I have attempted to hero both the artist and their trade simultaneously, placing them within their creative spaces as well as including their materials and products within the images. I will continue this style in my upcoming photoshoots.