Erwin Blumenfeld creates fashion photography as an artistic journey

Rage for Color, Look, October 15th, 1958 © The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld

It is more than fashion photography. Erwin Blumenfeld’s pictures exemplify the soul of a real artist. Not only are they the perfect combination of American fashion and European culture but they also feature the photographer’s great admiration and, even more so, his deep understanding of feminine beauty.

 
Left: Saddler Wells dancer, 1952 , Right: The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld

Born in France but forced to leave the country during WWII, Blumenfeld settled in 1941 New York, where it was within his first three years as a photographer in that city that he soon became famous and highly paid in his profession. The fashion press was booming and was considered an essential way to promote style and elegance to the fashionable population. He was hired by the greatest magazines: Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, to mention only a few. One of Blumenfeld’s main concerns about his reputation as a fashion photographer was that he wanted to continue to reflect a strong artistic quest while being a “commercial” photographer. With this ambition in mind, he succeeded in creating strong images, all of them carrying a genuine, visual identity made of color, lines, lights and technical effects.

 
Left:  Erwin Blumenfeld, Self-portrait, New York, circa 1950 , Right:  The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld 

Blumenfeld’s artistic influences are rooted in many European art styles, such as Renaissance or Impressionism as well as the modernity that surrounded him, in other forms of media such as the movies. With all these references in mind, Blumenfeld introduced his own vision and made sure to anchor his own work in his lifetime and give it a strong identity. To him, the camera was a filter on life, and had to be considered as such. Blumenfeld believed that reality when seen through a lens of a camera, becomes different and is placed on another level. This vision is featured in his definition of the work shown in the exhibit, which exemplifies the belief that photography strongly becomes part of an art form through the lens of the artist Blumenfeld.

The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld

Also of note is that the photographer is known for his desire to consistently try to reveal a part of his model’s personality in each photograph. The emphasis of his work was not always solely focused on the clothing featured but also on each of the diverse and interesting women wearing the clothes, whose beauty did not necessarily match with the standards of these times. Another fact that showcases the unique approach of this legendary man and his very special work.

With its selection of 200 pictures including around 30 never-before-seen photographs, the exhibition at the Cité de la Mode et du Design is one of the great not to be missed shows in Paris this spring.