Photographs by: Arnold Newman

“For five decades Arnold Newman stood behind his camera, facing individuals and egos
that have shaped the realities of twentieth century life. Emperors, poets, dancers, composers, presidents,
painters and shoemakers have all collaborated with him, placing themselves in his trust to be properly portrayed.”
(Arthur Ollman, Arnold Newman, Five Decades)

Photographs by: Arnold Newman

“I have never been interested in simply photographing personalities. It is more important for me to interpret my subjects with all the creative controls I have at my disposal. I select certain people because they lend themselves to a visual concept I wish to explore. The subject’s environment provides the building blocks of design and composition and also the atmosphere created by the person. When I make a portrait, I build it, seeking all those graphic elements that will express the most common denominator of the subject as I see him within a single image.” -Arnold Newman

Thus, Arnold Newman discussed the approach that made him synonymous with the “environmental” portrait and one of the 20th Century’s great portraitists. He altered the classical tradition of portraiture derived from painting. He made the portrait into a symbol of man and work. Newman’s portraits are not the result of a repetitious formula. Rather, each is customized to the subject, his instinctive feeling and the setting offered. They reveal personality and character. They are true to the person, yet provide layers of information to the faces of our time.

Arnold Newman (1918-2006) has been the subject of nine books, many exhibitions and is included in numerous private and museum collections. His credit line is below a remarkable number of famous and iconic images.

A lecture on Newman: the Man and His Impact… will be given by Gregory Heisler on October 1 at the High Museum of Art. Examples of Heisler’s work and the influence that Newman had on it are shown in the front gallery.

Featured in this exhibition is the work of Arnold Newman.

Select this link to view his complete artist page.

Arnold Newman (1918 – 2006)
Arnold Abner Newman was an American photographer, noted for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images. Arnold Newman found his vision in the empathy he felt for artists and their work. Although he photographed many 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.

Newman is often credited with being the first photographer to use so-called environmental portraiture, in which the photographer places the subject in a carefully controlled setting to capture the essence of the individual’s life and work. Newman normally captured his subjects in their most familiar surroundings with representative visual elements showing their professions and personalities. A musician for instance might be photographed in their recording studio or on stage, a Senator or other politician in their office or a representative building. Using a large-format camera and tripod, he worked to record every detail of a scene.

“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.”

Newman’s best-known images were in black and white, although he often photographed in color. His black and white portrait of Igor Stravinsky seated at a grand piano became his signature image, even though it was rejected by the magazine that gave the assignment to Newman. He was one of the few photographers allowed to make a portrait of the famously camera-shy Henri Cartier-Bresson.

High Museum of Art, Hill Auditorium

Gregory Heisler, former Newman assistant shared his insight to the photography of Arnold Newman. Heisler, is a New York-based photographer who is renowned for his technical mastery and thoughtful responsiveness. It has been said that he combines “the eye of an artist, the mind of a scientist, and the heart of a journalist.” He is perhaps best known for his more than seventy TIME magazine cover portraits. As a sought-after speaker and educator, Gregory has taught at the International Center of Photography, the New School for Social Research, The School of Visual Arts (Master of Fine Arts Program), Parsons School of Design, The Smithsonian Institution (Masters of Still Photography Series), and the National Geographic Society, as well as scores of workshops and seminars throughout the country and overseas.