100 essential images from the founder of "environmental portraiture" Published to coincide with the centennial of Arnold Newman's birth, Arnold One Hundred offers a celebratory look at 100 of the photographer's most provocative and memorable images. Arnold Newman is widely renowned for pioneering and popularizing the environmental portrait. He placed his sitters in surroundings representative of their professions, aiming to capture the essence of an individual's life and work. Though this approach is commonplace today, his technique was highly unconventional in the 1930s when he began shooting his subjects. His environmental approach to portraiture was influenced by symbolism and impressionism, and defined by the imperative of captivating the viewer no matter how well known the subject was. While he specialized in photographing artists, Newman captured the likenesses of a vast range of figures, from athletes and actors to presidents and politicians, including Marlene Dietrich, John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Mantle and Audrey Hepburn.
Looking through the plates is inspiring. The paper has varied texture your fingers can feel. Take the time to read what is written afterwards it provides insight into a deliberately creative mind.
"Nothing is lost; flatness was its intention. It was created on the flat viewing glass on the back of his camera, and lives on the flat paper of his print."