Сесил Битон / Cecil Beaton: portraits

"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. "

Cecil Beaton


Marisa Berenson at the Rothschild Proust Ball, 1971






Cecil Beaton's Quotes:

All I want is the best of everything and there's very little of that left.

Americans have an abiding belief in their ability to control reality by purely material means... airline insurance replaces the fear of death with the comforting prospect of cash.

I can't afford a whole new set of enemies.

I have the worst ear for criticism; even when I have created a stage set I like, I always hear the woman in the back of the dress circle who says she doesn't like blue.

More varied than any landscape was the landscape in the sky, with islands of gold and silver, peninsulas of apricot and rose against a background of many shades of turquoise and azure.

Mrs Woolf's complaint should be addressed to her creator, who made her, rather than me.

Never in the history of fashion has so little material been raised so high to reveal so much that needs to be covered so badly.

On close inspection, this device turned out to be a funereal juke box - the result of mixing Lloyd's of London with the principle of the chewing gum dispenser.

Perhaps the world's second-worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.

San Francisco is perhaps the most European of all American cities.

What is elegance? Soap and water!


 


Cecil Beaton, the photographer, illustrator, and set designer, was distinguished for his fashion photographs, society portraits, and images of Hollywood stars. Here, he lies in bed, photographed by George Hoyningen-Huené in the June 1934 Vanity Fair.
   
 



Игрок в реальность
Текст: Виктория Мусвик (Ъ)

Хрупкая и печальная Одри Хепберн в костюме прекрасной цветочницы. Молодой бог Джонни Вайсмюллер в декорациях "Тарзана". Будущая королева Елизавета II в образе сказочной принцессы. А рядом – маленькая и трогательная Эйлин Данн, жертва бомбежек, на кроватке в детском госпитале. Чуть поодаль персонажи свингующего Лондона, знаменитые тусовщики шестидесятых: бунтарка Твигги в крохотном желтом платьице, Rolling Stones и Мик Джаггер, Люсьен Фрейд, Фрэнсис Бэкон. Более 100 портретов, сделанных Сесилом Битоном (1904-1980) с начала двадцатых по конец шестидесятых. Здесь же афиши, эскизы, его автопортреты. Страницы из дневника, недавняя публикация которого, без цензуры и купюр, взбудоражила всех так же, как это было бы 50 лет назад. 

 

MICK JAGGER 
 
BIANCA JAGGER, 1978 
 

Собранные вместе куратором NPG Теренсом Пеппером, эти объекты – еще одна попытка разгадать секрет Битона. Над ним бились многие, от знаменитого Роя Стронга, сделавшего в 1968-м первую ретроспективу художника и первую фотографическую выставку в NPG, мгновенно прославившую музей и его самого, до Ролана Барта, пытавшегося найти философские причины оглушительной битоновской популярности. Приблизиться к разгадке удавалось немногим.

Сесил Битон – любимейший британцами персонаж, один из героев нации. Англичане говорят о своей любви к нему с некоторым недоумением, как бы слегка извиняющимся тоном, какой они обычно употребляют для признаний в любви к летающему цирку Монти Пайтона или глупым выходкам мистера Бина. Как и они, фотограф – одновременно дитя традиции и ниспровергатель устоев британской нации. По словам господина Пеппера, "мы ценим Битона за изящество и талант, тщательно закрывая глаза на менее приглядные его черты". Он к тому же знаменитый дизайнер и художник, придумавший костюмы и декорации к самым известным театральным постановкам и кинофильмам вроде "Моей прекрасной леди". Денди и эстет в духе Оскара Уайльда, известный едкими высказываниями о своих знаменитых моделях и жизни в целом. Ветреный субъект, сделавший свою личную жизнь всеобщим достоянием: кто сейчас не знает о том, что Сесил Битон предпочитал мужчин, но при этом годами ухаживал за Гретой Гарбо, которая стойко отвергала все его предложения руки и сердца. 

  
 

 

 
GRETA GARBO

Но все же главная из его многочисленных личин – фотограф, один из лучших портретистов XX века, ставший его летописцем. У Сесила Битона почитали за честь сниматься знаменитости, великие артисты и светские персонажи, политики, вершившие судьбы Европы, и деятели художественного бомонда, придумывавшие и ниспровергавшие быстро сменяющие друг друга моды, стили, течения. Переплюнуть рекорд Сесила Битона, который почти 60 лет слыл модным и остро актуальным фотографом, не удавалось, пожалуй, ни одному из его современников.

Для многих разгадка его тайны – в умении понравиться другому, дать возможность портретируемому уйти в мир грез, заставить реальность мимикрировать под мир искусственных желаний и эрзац-событий. Мол, сам Сесил Битон жил в придуманном мире театральных декораций, умел удачно приврать, приукрасить действительность и называл себя искусным "манипулятором с камерой". Да посмотрите же в самом деле, говорят его критики, на его приемы: знаменитая любовь к ретуши, все эти цветочки и виньетки, игры со светом, стоящим сзади модели или падающим откуда-то сбоку, отчего человек становится бесплотной и прекрасной идеей. Вспомните, как он заставлял Марлен Дитрих и Коко Шанель имитировать статуи. Или вот, например, ряд кадров: Мэрилин Монро в самых разных позах и ракурсах. Вот здесь она вульгарна, здесь ужасно выглядит. А вот результат: прекрасная дива лежит полуприкрытая легкой тканью, с цветком в руке. Взгляд зовущий, чарующий, проникающий в самую душу. На выставке, кстати, представлена именно та карточка, которая принадлежала самой Мэрилин Монро. 

 
COCO CHANEL, 1937 
 

На самом деле, конечно, секрет популярности Сесила Битона, как и любого выдающегося фотографа, вовсе не в кокетстве с реальностью. И уж тем более не в скандальном самопиаре или умении удачно настраиваться на волну модных на данный момент тенденций и стилей. Скорее уж разгадку знаменитого феномена Битона следует искать в прямо противоположном направлении. Его тайна – в одновременном отказе и от жесткого подстраивания реальности под себя, и от коверкания своего собственного взгляда в угоду зрителю. Именно это постоянное балансирование на грани позволяет идти на тесный контакт со снимаемыми объектами, сохраняя при этом верность самому себе, чувствовать чужие мимолетные настроения и вписывать их в свое собственное. Сесил Битон к тому же в каждом из снимков постоянно и безжалостно обнажает свою личность – навык, которым денди, сделавший саму свою жизнь объектом искусства, всегда владеет в совершенстве.





ALBERT CAMUS, 1946

 
  
 
GRACE KELLY
  

CATHERINE HEPBURN

Lilian Gish, 1929

Margot Fonteyn, London-1965


Orson Welles, 1937

Before reaching his 30th birthday, Orson Welles was already considered a creative genius, having written, directed, produced, and starred in his first—and best-known—feature film, 1941's 'Citizen Kane.' In this Cecil Beaton photograph, from the Condé Nast Archive, a young Welles rests atop a bust of Shakespeare.

Sylvia Sidney 1932

Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead was famous not only as an actress, but also for her brash personality and witty one-liners like 'There is less to this than meets the eye' and 'I'm as pure as the driven slush.' Here, she is photographed in a dramatic pose by Cecil Beaton in the November 1931 Vanity Fair.

Mrs. Vincent Astor, 1956



Picasso's second wife

Princess Ira Von Furstenberg, 1955

Marlon Brando, 1947

Marlon Brando, 1954
   
 
   
Vivien Leigh 

The Wyndham Sisters, after John Singer Sargent, 1950




Though Cecil Beaton regularly photographed the brightest lights of society and celebrity, for this image he turned his camera on a family affair. The photograph, taken during the wedding of his sister Lady Smiley (formerly Nancy Beaton) to Sir Hugh Houston Smiley, depicts Nancy's bridesmaids, from left: Lady Violet Pakenham, Baba Beaton, Lady Anne Wellesley, Margaret Whigham, and Liticia Chattock. The photograph appeared in the May 1, 1933, Vogue.





 



  
Princess NATALIE PALEY
 
Princess Natalie Paley in Lace Redingote by Lucien Lelong


 
 
BETTE DAVIS




Nancy Cunard

Doris Viscontessa Castlerosse(1930)

Рудольф Нуреев, 1963 год

Сальвадор Дали и Гала, 1936 год.



T.S. Eliot, 1956

Cecil Day-Lewis, 1942

Elizabeth Teylor, 1954

Fiona Campbell-Walter, 1954

Gary Cooper, 1931
 

Gary Cooper in the Studio

Clare Boothe Brokaw
 
Gwili Andre, 1932

Johnny Weissmuller, 1932

Leslie Caron, 1957

Maria Callas, 1957

Paula Gellibrand, The Marquesa de Casa Maury,1928
 
Юл Бриннер, 1946

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne



Baroness Von Thyssen, taken in flat owned by Roger Vivier

Barbara Streisand On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, 1969

Barbara Streisand

Barbara Hutton in Tangier, Morocco, 1961

Baba Beaton, late 1920s

Greta Garbo

Garbo and Beaton

Cecil Beaton and Carole Lombard

This photograph is an outtake from a shoot by Cecil Beaton for the July 1931 Vanity Fair. It shows Lombard in a moment of casual elegance, seated on a wooden beam with a fur stole draped over her lap.

An ideal husband, 1947 or before

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr & Dean Martin, 1964

Joan Crawford ,1956
 
Norma Shearer

Boris Kochno
 


Cecil Beaton, Bouvier Sisters

Mona Bismarck, 1950

Cecil Beaton captured the steely elegance of Countess Bismarck (also known as Mrs. Mona Harrison Williams) in a reflective moment in Capri for the July 1, 1959, Vogue. Beaton's photograph, from 1956, was taken shortly after Williams married Count Edward Albert Bismarck, the grandson of Otto Von Bismarck.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Movie Studio

Edith Sitwell, a British poet and critic, had two younger brothers, Osbert and Sacheverell Sitwell, both distinguished authors, well-known literary figures, and long-term collaborators. Here, the three are photographed—with Sacheverell at top—by Cecil Beaton in the August 1929 Vanity Fair.

Ellin Mackay's father said his daughter would wed Irving Berlin “over my dead body'—he was not about to see her marry a Tin Pan Alley songwriter. But the heiress and the songwriter nevertheless eloped in 1926. And while Mackay was disinherited, the happy marriage lasted until her death in 1988. Here, the couple pose for Cecil Beaton in the June 1930 Vanity Fair.


Gertrude Lawrence was a British actress and dancer who appeared in revues on Broadway and in London. She originated the role of Amanda Prynne opposite Noël Coward in his show 'Private Lives,' which played in London and New York. Cecil Beaton photographed the actress in bed 'swathed in chiffons, furs, and satins' for a feature in the June 1934 Vanity Fair titled 'Celebrities in Bed.'

Gertrude Lawrence

Gloria Swanson in Three Weeks

Helen Hayes's exceptional career proved she was more than just a beautiful woman—her talent kept her working in film and theater well into her 80s (though her beauty never diminished). Hayes won two Academy Awards for best actress, two Tony Awards, an Emmy, and a Grammy, among dozens of other accolades. Cecil Beaton's photograph of Hayes appeared in the November 1933 Vanity Fair, the date of which marked the actress's return to Broadway in Mary of Scotland.

Like many comediennes of her day, Ina Claire started out in vaudeville and moved to film in the 1920s. She continued to perform until 1954, mainly on Broadway, in what Time magazine called "the highly varnished comedies of bad manners and good breeding." This profile of the blond actress, holding two roses to her chest, was taken by Cecil Beaton and appeared in the October 1931 Vanity Fair.

Jean Cocteau, 1935

Jean-Paul Sartre, 1950

Actress Joan Bennett appeared in several 20th Century Fox films including 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and 'Me and My Gal,' before leaving the studio to appear in 'Little Women.' Here, she is photographed in a pouty but elegant pose by Cecil Beaton in the September 1931 Vanity Fair.

One of the brightest stars of Hollywood's golden age, Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her performance in Mildred Pierce and was nominated twice more, for Possessed and Sudden Fear. She and her first husband, actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr., made frequent appearances in the society pages. This photograph of a sunny-looking Crawford, which appeared in the July 1931 Vanity Fair, was taken by Cecil Beaton.

Actor John Barrymore had leading roles in 'Grand Hotel,' 'Dinner at Eight,' and 'Twentieth Century,' among other memorable films. He worked opposite such actresses as Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, and Carole Lombard. Here, he is photographed in the role of Svengali by Cecil Beaton in the June 1931 Vanity Fair.

Dancer and choreographer Kyra Nijinsky, who was the daughter of famed dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, appears here wearing her costume for the ballet 'Le Spectre de la Rose,' which she performed in the London revue 'Streamline.' This photograph, by Cecil Beaton, appeared in the July 1935 Vanity Fair.

French opera singer Lily Pons had her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in January 1931, an appearance that launched her career and began a long professional relationship with the Met. Here, she appears in a Vanity Fair feature titled 'Doubles or Quits,' which noted the resemblance between Pons and Adele Astaire. Photograph by Cecil Beaton in the June 1931 issue.

Actress Loretta Young, who made as many as seven or eight movies a year, won an Oscar in 1947 for her performance in 'The Farmer's Daughter.' In 1949 Young received another Academy Award nomination for 'Come to the Stable,' and in 1953, she appeared in her last film, 'It Happens Every Thursday.' Here, she is photographed by Cecil Beaton in the October 1931 Vanity Fair.

Cecil Beaton photographed the winners of MoMA's competition for low-cost furniture design, including John B. McMorran, John O. Merrill, Davis J. Pratt, Charles Eames, Alexey Brodovitch, James L. Prestini, Don R. Knorr, Robin Day, and Clive Latimer, for the April 1949 House & Garden.

Famed photographer Cecil Beaton turned his attention to Mrs. Geoffrey N. Gates for this portrait. Clutching her pocketbook in one arm and her dog in the other, her straightforward gaze gives her a no-nonsense air. She stands outside the window of a pet store, where a less fortunate puppy regards her longingly. The clever photograph appeared in the April 15, 1932, Vogue.

After establishing her popularity on Broadway, Nancy Carroll made her film debut in 1927 with Ladies Must Dress, and went on to play opposite Gary Cooper in The Shopworn Angel, and Lionel Barrymore in Broken Lullaby. Cecil Beaton's stunning photograph of Carroll, smiling into the sunlight with both hands behind her head, appeared in the April 1931 Vanity Fair.

Nancy Carroll

Robert F. Kennedy, the U.S. Attorney General at the time this was taken, grins broadly while wife Ethel peeks out from behind his shoulder. A low couch is in the background, which gives the work a homey, authentic atmosphere. The Cecil Beaton photograph offers an early portrait of an American icon. It appeared in the June 1, 1961, Vogue.

Robinson Jeffers's poetry focused on nature, especially the California's Monterey coast, where he and his wife made their home. Jeffers published dozens of poetry collections and philosophical essays during his lifetime, including, Tamar and Other Poems, Solstice and Other Poems, and Be Angry at the Sun. Cecil Beaton photographed Jeffers seated on a rock along the coast, most likely near the writer's home.

Dancer, actress, and singer Ruby Keeler and singer-actor Al Jolson (most famous for his pioneering role in talking pictures) wed in 1928; she was 19 and he was 42. Here, they are photographed by Cecil Beaton in the January 1934 Vanity Fair.

Ruth Gordon won critical acclaim for her roles in 'Saturday's Children' and 'Serena Blandish' on Broadway. She and her husband, Garson Kanin, cowrote the films 'Adam's Rib' and 'Pat and Mike,' both of which starred Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Late in her life, Gordon returned to film to appear in 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Harold and Maude.' Here, she plays the title role in 'Serena Blandish.' Photograph by Cecil Beaton in the April 1929 Vanity Fair.

Stravinsky's ballet 'Les Noces' was presented for the first time in New York in May 1929 by the Manhattan League of Composers. Here, Valentina Koshuba, a Russian ballerina, performs in the piece. Photograph by Edward Steichen in the May 1929 Vanity Fair.

William Somerset Maugham, 1933

Paula Gellibrand, Marquise de Casa Maury, 1928

Anita Pallenberg with Mick Jagger (Perfomance)

Cecil Beaton photographs Andy Warhol for his first American one man show of photographs at the Museum of the City of
       New York. Shown with Andy are Jed and Jay Johnson.
 
  
 
Alida Valli
 


  
 

 

 



TO BE CONTINUED.