VoxPhotographs Weblog

Visit the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland soon for several reasons, including some fun shopping in Rockland!!

I wanted one more chance to see that venerable Ansel Adams print of Eliot Porter’s and I did, but I was really headed downstairs to the small Arnold Newman exhibit.

A couple of people have already mentioned to me they expected this exhibit to be bigger, but the 29 images exhibited are a good overview of his styles and for me, it’s a good education. And I like its surprises, too.

For one, Newman photographed Cushing artist Alan Magee in 1990 at Maine Media Workshops. Cool.  But he photographed him through the plastic wall of the food hall tent. Even cooler. But what makes the portrait pretty darn amazing is that Newman’s own right HAND takes up a good chunk of the right side of the portrait! Seeing is believing…it’s a pretty unique shot for Arnold Newman!

Another reason Arnold Newman is truly one of the best portrait photographers in photography history is demonstrated by the Arno Minkkinen portrait he took in 2005 – not that long ago, remember. To say this artist did not get into ruts is an understatement and you can see why:

Arnold Newman, Arno Minkkinen, New york, NY, 2005 B/W Modern 11 7/8 x 9 15/16 inches. Arnold Newman/Getty Images

I think this actual image is from the Farnsworth exhibit catalog because obviously the one in the exhibit is not on a folded back page like this! But you’ve got to admit – this is a terrific image! The accompanying card on the wall says that Minkkinen’s hands are in the photograph and out of the photograph and that is true; however, there is another set of hands in the photograph and they should be referred to as well – they are a woman’s hands. I wonder who it is?

The Minkkinen image is surrounded by the classics – Newman’s famous portrait of the nutty-looking John Marin (1947) always makes me grin, I’m afraid. No choice but to let Marin dominate this photograph front and center! A beautiful portrait of John Sloan (1941), complete with paint-smeared smock and in front of his easel is why I am so in awe of Newman’s oeuvre.

I hope Kenneth Noland (1967) liked his Newman portrait: the artist is wedged in between two paintings in a very unique and brilliant composition that speaks volumes about the artist’s work.

Kenneth Noland (1967) © Arnold Newman/Getty Images

Mary Ellen Mark was photographed at Maine Media Workshops in the 80′s (didn’t write down the portrait date, sorry!). The obscuring slant of light and odd but hugely successful addition of a chair back in the center of the bottom of the portrait makes it totally unique as a portrait. You have to ask yourself – why did he do that? One of the exhibit cards quotes Newman as saying “Portrait photography is 90% moving furniture and 10% photography.” I guess so!

You’ll get prepped for the Louise Nevelson exhibit on the Museum’s main floor gallery by the haunting image of her in the Arnold Newman exhibit.

The famous Edward Hopper image, where Hopper is seated outside and down the hill a bit from the front of his studio is beyond brilliant. What the info. card is remiss in not saying is – that Jo Hopper is flitting about in the background next to the studio! Definitely part of the Newman plan for this portrait, and an important one, I would imagine.

I laughed out loud in disbelief when I saw the Edward Steichen (1955) portrait. I remember Steichen from the film made in the last years of his life at his home in CT, I think – a wiry curmudgeon with a long gray beard – but here he is looking exactly like a contented insurance salesman. Tell me I’m wrong when you see it!

And last, but not least, is the deceptively simple portrait of Milton Avery. I think Newman did a lot of furniture moving for this one, or maybe he just got it right the first time. In any event, it’s perfect.

You can see the Avery portrait and a whole page of Arnold Newman portraits go to his official website and click on Gallery and then PORTRAITS. Newman’s online presence is tightly controlled by Getty Images, which makes for a less exciting blog posting, but may the Farnsworth exhibit (which runs through August 8th) motivate you to spend time online seeing more.

This entry was posted on March 30, 2010 at 8:15 pm and is filed under EXHIBITS/SHOWS, Maine . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.