Arnold Newman

One of my big gripes about being in a smaller city is the lack of world class photography exhibits. I was happily surprised back in October to find that Arnold Newman had some of his works showing at the Oregon Jewish Museum. I had made plans to see it, but time just few by and in less than a week, the show was going to be gone. Good thing a good friend Joni lit the fire to both Randy Kepple and I to see it.

After a hearty lunch of dim sum, we walked over a few blocks to see the exhibition. I shouldn't ever be surprised to see actual works of art being so amazing, but I still am. There is nothing like seeing real photographs, exactly the way the artist intended. As it turned out, we found that Mr. Newman himself printed all of the photographs for this continuously traveling show.

It brought to question in all of us, how perfection is defined so superfluously these days in our professions as photographers. Time has certainly been a major influence in the ways we see perfection. I considered many of what I saw as strong, emotional and telling in what is, truth. Arnold did not display his subjects as objects, did not make a major production to ad to the settings to make his photographs. He used the environment, his skill to make his perfection. He was the artist and he defined his rules.


Arnold Newman self portrait, c. 1940