Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-08)

66 8 June 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

Legends

of photography

P

hotojournalistEve

Arnolddiedin 2012

attheimpressive

ageof99,leaving

behinda careerthatwasas

prolificasit wasdiverse.She

wasaninveteratetraveller

andwasatallstagesintune

withtheculturalclimate,

whichensuredshewasable

todocumentsomeofthe

mostsignificanteventsand

individualsofthepost-war

period(MalcolmX,Marlene

Dietrich,QueenElizabethII,

etal).Thisultimatelyresulted

inArnoldbeingmadea full

member of the Magnum

Eve

Arnold

agencyin1957,whichmade

her,alongwithIngeMorath,

thefirsttwoofitsfemale

members.ButwhileArnoldleft

behindanextensiveportfolio,

it’sperhapsherimagesof

MarilynMonroeforwhich

she’sbestknown.

Arnoldfirstphotographed

Monroeinthe1950sandit was

a collaborativerelationship

thatwouldgiveusthemost

insightfulimagesintothis

mercurialstar.Arnoldwasnot

theonlyphotographertowork

collaborativelywithMonroe.

MiltonGreene,too,developed

a fertile relationship with the

It’sa controlledimage– one

designedtoconveya character

andarchetype.It’slikelythat

Monroedirectedtheimage.

Thefactis,Monroewasno

merefodderforArnold’slens.

‘Atphotosessions,shewasin

totalcontrol,’Arnoldsaidof

herrelationshipwithMonroe.

‘Shemanipulatedeverything

• me,thecamera.Sheknew
  a lotaboutcamerasandI had
  nevermetanyonewhocould
  makethemrespondtheway
  shedid.Soshegotwhatshe
  wanted,becauseshewasn’t
  underallthekindsofpressure
  shefeltduringa filmshoot:
  rememberingherlines,
  enduringhoursofpreparation.
  Withme,shewasinchargeof
  thesituations.’
  That’sa tellingquote.It is
  oftenthecasethatthe‘muse’is
  theonewhois bentandshaped
  tofittheidealthatis present
  withintheheadoftheartist.
  Buthereweseethemusetake
  controloftheartist’sgazeand
  useit fortheirownend.It’sa
  fascinatingdynamicandone
  thatrevealsthesavvybusiness
  mindofMonroe,anactorwho
  wasfalselyconflatedwith the
  ditzycharactersshe
  played on screen.

LegendaryMagnumphotographer

EveArnoldfoundaubiquitousmuse

inHollywoodiconMarilynMonroe.

Oliver Atwell finds out more

star.Theycollaboratedon

around 53 photoshootsand

foundeda productioncompany

togetherthatwouldhelp

Monroetakecontrolofher

actingcareer.Butwhere

Greene’simageswere

concernedwithpresentingthe

professionalfaceoftheactor,

Arnold’simagesarenotable

forthemoreroundedand

three-dimensionalsense we

getoftheactor.

Themuseisincontrol

Themostfamousseriesof

imagesweretakenontheset

ofthe 1961 filmTheMisfits

directedbyJohnHuston.It

wasinArnold’sbehind-the-

scenesshotsthatwesawthe

actingcraftsperson:the

professionallearninglines,

workingthroughscenesand

enduringtheharshboredom

oflonghoursonset.

ButwhileArnold’scandid

shotsofMonroeareconsidered

themostnoteworthy,wecan

alsolooktoimagessuchasthe

oneweseeheretogetsome

insightintothecollaboration

betweenArnoldandMonroe.

Here,bathedingoldenlight,

Monroestalksthroughthe

grass dressed in leopard print.

© eve arnold/magnum photos

© Gett y ImaGes

ActressMarilynMonroe.

MountSinai,LongIsland,

New York, USA. 1955