Arnold Newman
Arnold Newman, Alfred Krupp, 1963
Arnold Newman is known for his environmental portraits that capture people in their environments. In class we were show an image of Alfred Krupp, an arms dealer that is known for arming the Nazis in World War 2. Since first seeing this photo in class, it has stuck with me. The way Newman captures the pure evil of Krupp is eye catching. Without even knowing the context behind this piece, we can tell there is something off about the subject being photographed. The way Alfred has the light positioned makes Krupp appear like a Bond movie villain. After learning the context behind the subject, Krupp, being an industrialist, is seen pictured inside of a machinery warehouse.
The way he has Krupp position his hands, makes Krupp appear villain like, as if he has a diabolical plan up his sleeve. In reality, he helped a force that was diabolical and caused terror and ruined the lives of millions. In a way, Krupp helped mobilize the Holocaust and Germany's power against their enemies. Newman uses artificial lighting, perhaps two lamps on either side of Krupp to project a dynamic photo. Learning the history behind this piece, Newman purposely made Krupp look bad, without knowledge to Krupp. The other interesting fact is that Newman was Jewish, which adds an extra layer to the history of this photograph. In a way it is Newman's way of enacting revenge against Krupp for his role in helping the Nazis. I believe Newman not only shows the importance of capturing a person in their environment, but shows that knowing the context behind a photo only adds more to the experience of witnessing the photograph.
It reminds me of when a Jewish photograph took a photo of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, where Goebbels was smiling and then there was another picture taken from the same Jewish photographer, where Goebbels demeanor appeared to change. The photographer later stated that Goebbels appeared disgusted in the second picture because Goebbels was later informed the photographer was Jewish. Unlike Newman's photo, the subject of Goebbels spouts hatred. To say that Eisenstaedt didn't have to do much to make Goebbels appear villainous, because it was natural. I've put that image down below to provide context.
Comments
Post a Comment