Helmut Newton – When commerce becomes art; the supply of beauty
- izabela manolova
- May 26, 2022
- 5 min read
by Izabela Manolova
Speaking of Helmut Newton, all we can do is admire the eye of the artist, who changed the history of photography and converted the meanings of “art” and “commerce”. It was his work during this period in the culture of XX century, which established his reputation as a world-renowned fashion photographer, and his distinctive style, which included compositions controversially laden with erotically charged voyeurism, and imbued with sadomasochistic fetishism. In an interview he explained, "I love vulgarity. I am attracted by bad taste - it is a lot more exciting than supposed good taste, which is nothing more than a standardised way of looking at things."[1]
To change an established way of seeing thigs, especially in fashion, is, by all means, quite impossible. But not for Helmut. Having the certain personal qualities such as his incredible charisma and sharp as a razorblade mind, he manages to completely change the look of his era and inspire other photographers (and not only) to search for their own vision of the world, their own unique style. Because photography can be what we made it into – in can be boring, plain, simple, or it can be rich, meaningful, symbolistic and somehow – complete. This is what we, as viewers see in the passionate photographs of Newton, no matter if we are looking at his fashion period, his auto portraits or his street photography.
It is interesting to analyze him as a man, a human being and an artist. A boy with a vision, who was oppressed by his wealthy family. A boy, searching for his own truth in life. A rebel. Proving to his family, that he will be able to make a living out of photography, his inner fire was so big, he couldn’t stop at a certain level. He wanted to crush everything that stood in his way. Not by violence, but by intelligence, form, light and shadow, composition. He wasn’t aiming for the absolute goal, he just loved to do what he was doing so much, he couldn’t stop.
It's interesting to see that there is a certain pattern, that repeats itself, with slight changes, of course, in the world and lives of the successful artists (mainly in XX century). Salvador Dali, Picasso (painters), Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz (photographers), Rolling Stones, The Beatles (musicians) and others. All of their genius is stronger than everything else – not the desire to create, but the absolute need. The crating process for all of these artists is just as important as breathing air. And the rebellion is the thing that needs to exist, in order to create these artists, in order for us to evolve as human beings through culture and art (just like it was done in the ancient times, but transformed into modern methods).
One of the other main traits of this pattern is the incredible productivity and amount of works, the artists create in their lifespan. Newton created over 60 covers of Vogue only and we can barely imagine how many thousands of pictures he took in his life. The same thing can be said for Picasso and his creating process, the numerous songs of the Stones or the surreal art of Dali. Those kinds of geniuses are born to see, to create and the best thing their surrounding social circle can do is let them create.
“Newton’s work 1960s set him up for what is considered his most influential period, in which he produced the work that would come to define his style. Combining the glamour and decadence of high fashion with a subversive sexuality, his photographs dare the viewer to challenge preconceptions. The opulence of his cinematic backdrops make the clothes seem unattainably desirable, and emphasize the equally unattainable femininity of the models.”[2] His way of viewing the world is a very important part of the sexual revolution in the 60s and the 70s and not only the underground culture, rising from the basements, but also the high artistic circles. We can’t skip mentioning the pop art as a cultural event – the artists who are an etalon of lifestyle (Andy Warhol) and all the stars Newton photographs in his “Hollywood” period. As his career developed and his reputation grew, he began taking portraits of celebrities for magazines and has photographed everyone from David Lynch and Madonna to Margaret Thatcher and Leonardo DiCaprio.
” At fourteen I took pictures of my childhood girlfriends in the streets, dressed in my mother’s dresses and hats. It was then that I swore to myself that I would later become a fashion photographer at Vogue. My grades, in school, were deplorable, I was a dunce. Since my classes ended at 1 PM when I was fourteen years old, I got a job as an assistant to a photographer without telling my parents. This lasted for six months. My school grades became worse and worse; So finally, my father confiscated all my cameras and confined me to the house. By the time I was sixteen, my parents no longer had any hope.”[3]
The amount of inspiration should also be put into words – “girls, girls, girls” [4]. Newton was a person who loved the “supply of beauty” – his world was inspired by shapes and forms, the human mathematical equation we call beauty – a deadly seduction for the spirit, if used lightly. Fortunately, Helmut managed to step into the world of sex and lust in the best way possible and to remain what we can call “grounded”. There are of course, lots of other stories from this era of artists who drown in their own creation. And we, as an audience can be nothing but happy that Helmut found his way to be a prat of this world, without letting it destroy him.
He managed to stay in the golden ration by changing places, techniques, people in order to touch the perfection all artists are searching for. This is also admirable, because if we see the places he lived and worked – from a (Jewish) boy from Berlin (born in 1920 and lived during WWII) to London, Paris, Australia, USA. The journey was long and full of stories – ups and downs, important choices were being made. But with the passion in his heart, he gave all of this heritage to world photography and changed the way of how things were being made.
Here the question comes – Is it art if it’s commerce? Depends of the point of view. Can art be commerce? Should it be? Aren’t these two things in absolute opposition? Well the artists of the XX century show us that art can and should be used for profit and that this doesn’t make it less important or meaningful. This time proves that the art management is quite important and if you have a good manager and know how to sell yourself, you can really be put into the history books in fifty years’ time. Not only for fame, but for the growing change in the world. The era of in between – analog/digital creates a gap for inspiration – a feeling of the coming of the new age and absolute flourishing of the visual. In times of great men, there are great trials. And this is proven by Helmut Newton’s creative vision of femininity and beauty. Because of his long path, he certainly became one of the most influential photographers of the XX century.
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