More Than Glitz

Ah, glamour. What a word. It is a word that conjures up images of a bygone era, a word that sends chills of fond nostalgia down the backs of wizened old ladies. It is a world that we have difficulty recreating simply because today, we confuse glamour with glitter. The Museum of Fine Arts’ (MFA) new exhibit The Look; Images of Glamour and Style transports the viewer back to a time when elegance was tantamount to perfection and subtlety was more important than show. The exhibit, which features the photography of George Hoynigen-Huene and Horst P. Horst, two of the most famous fashion photographers of the twentieth century, shows us what glamour really is. The Look presents us with a charming and uncomplicated view of history that glosses over the tumultuous events of the past century with a veneer of elegance and style. This exhibit does not even pretend to be political, and once you get over the fact that you are being presented with the frothy side of history, you will be in sheer heaven.

It seems as though anyone who was anybody was in Paris during the 1930s. Despite a worldwide depression and an unstable political climate, Paris thrived. Paris embodied cosmopolitan sophistication and chic innovation. A motley crew of artists, intellectuals, bohemians, musicians, socialites and hangers-on soaked up the atmosphere and added to the legend. It was into this electric world of jazz, fashion and culture that Huene, an aristocratic Russian emigré, found himself. Before long he was the chief photographer of Paris Vogue, and a symbol of the very world he captured so beautifully on film. In 1930, Huene met Horst in a cafe and became both his artistic mentor and his lover. He taught Horst the tricks of the trade and turned him into a superb photographer.

The collective work of Huene and Horst during the 30s provides the viewer with a glimpse of this colorful period in time. Horst and Huene emphasize the individuality of their models by shooting them in familiar environments. For example, the extravagant Italian Marchessa Picenardi is dramatically sprawled between two of her own, large, nude sculptures and Cecil Beaton indolently reclines in his checquered dressing gown on a silken bed with a baroque headboard. Coco Chanel gazes into the distance with a cigarette in one hand and an enormous gold necklace contrasting with her austere black dress. Elsa Maxwell, a famous hostess, whose Fete Champetre was believed to be the party of the decade, is dressed as a young, insolent boy. The list goes on and on.

Both Huene and Horst were aware of their own artistic context, gaining inspiration from the masterpieces they saw in the Louvre. They were especially influenced by Greek art. Huene’s gelatin plated silver photographs with their carefully posed models and flowing drapery harks back to classical Greek friezes. In one famous photograph, Horst transforms two large rolls of paper into what seem like Greek columns. His regal model—dressed in a fitted but flowing white gown—resembles a Greek goddess. Both Huene and Horst placed Greek sculptures in the background of their work and even blew up large reproductions of them to serve as backdrops for their photographs. They wanted to bring the grace and beauty of classicism into the world of twentieth century fashion.

Horst and Huene’s works are stylized and formal when compared to the glossy fashion photography of today. This formality, coupled with soft yet dramatic lighting, adds an element of mystery and seduction to their work. Their photographs are geometrically structured and sharply delineated. While Huene’s photographs are more neutral in tone, Horst’s emphasize the powerful effect of black and white contrast. Although Huene was clearly a great influence on Horst, Huene’s career peaked in the 30s, while Horst continued to photograph well into the 80s. Horst’s photographs are of everyone from Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth and Steve McQueen to Jacquelin Kennedy, Truman Capote and Calvin Klein. As such, Horst influenced the culture of fashion for over five decades.

One room of the exhibit is devoted to recreating the ambience of glamour. White love seats and vases full of lilies of the valley add character to the room. The music of Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Edith Piaf and several others is constantly playing in the background. Mannequins clad in authentic gowns show the viewer what evening dresses looked like in real life. The work of photographers such as Steichen, Man Ray, Beaton and Karsh give us an idea of what kinds of other photographic skills were being developed.

The Look is a highly enjoyable exhibit. It takes one on a fashionable romp and leaves one longing for the golden days of fashion. It is also a show that says much in what it fails to present to the viewer—one sees no sign of any political activity, economic hardship or social turmoil. While deceptively historical, The Look actually reveals how fantastical photography, a medium that is usually assumed to be based in reality, can be.

The look: Images of Glamour

and Style

by horst and

hoynigen-huene

Museum of Fine Arts

Through Jan. 6