Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold is a classic American photographer who started photographing
in 1946. In 1951 Arnold first became associated with Magnum photos, and that
lead to her becoming a full member in 1957. During the 1950's she was based in
the US, but then relocated to England in 1962 to put her son through school.
Although she had a six-year interval when she lived in the US and China she
lived in the UK for the rest of her life. After being in China for so long
Arnold finally had her first major solo exhibition; which was held in the
Brooklyn Museum in 1980.
Later
that same year she was awarded the National Book Award for In China and the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers.
As the years went by Arnold received many more honorable awards one of which,
in 1995 she was made fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and elected
Master Photographer - the world's most prestigious photographic honor - by New
York's International Center of Photography. In January 2012 Eve Arnold sadly
passed away at the age of 99 of natural causes, after the death a book was released in retrospect of
her inspirational work.
If you look at the way Eve has photographed Marilyn Monroe
you’ll notice that she looks like a very empowered woman, and you can tell she
is known for her beauty. Eve has put black and white filter over the photograph
which represents a seriousness and control but also enhances he femininity as a
role model which will appeal to young girls who look up to Marilyn as a
celebrity. You’ll also notice the way Marilyn is dressed which is very
conservative and classy some would say business like, which shows a different
side to Marilyn in which Eve was trying to achieve.
Robert Capa
1938 "The greatest war photographer in the
world" was introduced as Robert Capa (Born
Andre Friedmann to Jewish parents in Budapest in 1913) with 26
photographs from the Spanish Civil War, however Capa hated war. In 1933
he was driven out of Berlin the country by the threat of the Nazi regime and
ended settling in Paris. Capa was represented by
Alliance Photo and met a journalist/photographer Gerda Taro that led to them
both inventing the "famous" American Photographer Robert Capa and
began to sell his prints in that name.
Capa went on to meet more famous
people who too had been named famous for their work for instance Pablo Picasso,
Ernest Hemingway and formed a fellow friendship with David 'Chim' Seymour
and Henri Cartier-Bresson who are also Photographers. From 1936 and onwards
Capa continued to photograph the Spanish Civil War regularly, His picture of a Loyalist soldier who had just been fatally wounded
earned him his international reputation and became a powerful symbol of war.
If you look at the way the soldier in photograph
is positioned you’ll notice that he looks as though he is going to collapse, as
though his body has given up on the stress of the war and is pained by the
reality around him. Capa has captured a grief-stricken moment and the soldier
looks as the war has defeated him, which sends a very powerful moment and his
audience will feel empathy for the soldier. If you notice the image is in back
and white and this time is used in a different way to Eve Arnolds photograph of
Marilyn Monroe; the filter creates a depressing and sadden mood, that is
powerful.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was famous for his celebrity
culture, artistic expression, and advertisement, which flourished in the
1960's. He became popular from his visual movement art, which is formally known
as pop art. Andy was born August 6 1928, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He
used many different techniques with his artwork such as photography, silk
painting, sculpture etc.
He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly
as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, the factory, was a
famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag
queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and
wealthy patrons.
Andy Warhol also photographed Marilyn Monroe but
only the way he has photographed her sends a different message to the one that
Eve Arnold had taken; the Marilyn is seen as more of a sex icon and less of a
role model although she still looks beautiful, she isn’t shown as a powerful
woman she is seen as someone completely different to the photograph Eve Arnold
used. Andy uses her sexual magnetism as a form of art in which he knows will
appeal to more men than woman however woman still would aspire to be like her
in the sense of her beauty.
