The Art Of Photographing Artists: Portraits By Arnold Newman

By Claire O'Neill

Published March 28, 2013 at 10:41 AM CDT

1 of 13 — Sculptor Alexander Calder in his studio, 1957

Sculptor Alexander Calder in his studio, 1957

2 of 13 — Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist, South Hampton, N.Y., 1976

Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist, South Hampton, N.Y., 1976

3 of 13 — American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, New York City, 1977

American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, New York City, 1977

4 of 13 — Artist Pablo Picasso, Cannes, France, 1956

Artist Pablo Picasso, Cannes, France, 1956

5 of 13 — Alfried Krupp, industrialist, Essen, Germany, 1963

Alfried Krupp, industrialist, Essen, Germany, 1963

6 of 13 — Architect I.M. Pei, New York City, 1967

Architect I.M. Pei, New York City, 1967

7 of 13 — Writer Ayn Rand, New York City, 1964

Writer Ayn Rand, New York City, 1964

8 of 13 — American newscaster Edward R. Murrow at CBS Studios, New York City, 1951

American newscaster Edward R. Murrow at CBS Studios, New York City, 1951

9 of 13 — Attorney Thurgood Marshall in Harlem, 1960 — before he was nominated to be a Supreme Court justice

Attorney Thurgood Marshall in Harlem, 1960 — before he was nominated to be a Supreme Court justice

10 of 13 — Artist Ed Ruscha in his studio, Los Angeles, 1985

Artist Ed Ruscha in his studio, Los Angeles, 1985

11 of 13 — Surrealist Salvador Dali, New York, 1951

Surrealist Salvador Dali, New York, 1951

12 of 13 — Painter Piet Mondrian, New York, 1942

Painter Piet Mondrian, New York, 1942

13 of 13 — American painter Edward Hopper in Truro, Mass., with his wife, Jo, in the background, 1960

American painter Edward Hopper in Truro, Mass., with his wife, Jo, in the background, 1960

Arnold Newman poses President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House in 1963.

By the end of his career, Arnold Newman had developed a reputation for his "environmental portraiture" — a signature way of capturing artists and intellectuals in the spaces where they worked.

Newman would have been the first to admit he didn't invent the style. And he would have shirked any sort of label, too. But still, his archive is practically unrivaled as a who's-who of midcentury culture.

Shortly after Newman's death in 2006, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas acquired his archive. The curators there have whittled it down to about 200 images for a newly mounted exhibition,Arnold Newman: Master Class,and a corresponding book, Arnold Newman at Work.

Newman called himself a "saver" — perhaps a euphemism for "pack rat." He kept his notes, which he wrote meticulously, as well as his sketches, which he made exactingly. And although he published several photography books over the course of his life, what's interesting about this one is the emphasis on that ephemera — which illuminates both his methodology and his personality.

A tear sheet from <em>Holiday</em> magazine shows bistro owner Marius Guilhot and fishmonger Henri Castaing, 1961. Newman's sketch to the right maps out the table setting. — A tear sheet from *Holiday* magazine shows bistro owner Marius Guilhot and fishmonger Henri Castaing, 1961. Newman's sketch to the right maps out the table setting.

These "environmental portraits" are just a fraction of Newman's oeuvre, which included assignments for magazines like Life and other commercial clients. It's also interesting to note how, by no fault of his, portraits of women and people of color are remarkably few.

In one portrait of Edward Hopper, the painter's wife, Jo, does make an appearance — completely dwarfed in the background. Sometimes the absence of a thing can be the most intriguing.

What's also missing is the artist's signature. Salvador Dali and Eugene O'Neill got bylines and recognition — but for a photographer, the only signature is style. Fortunately for Newman, he had plenty of that.

The Art Of Photographing Artists: Portraits By Arnold Newman

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