Phillipe Halsman

 Phillipe Halsman was an American Photographer. He was well known for his portrait work with many well known artists, famous thinkers, and popular figures at the time. Most of his portraits brought out the sillier and more whimsical side of his subjects for the most part, really making his images stand out amongst the many others of the same people. Halsman always knew how to pose and portray, regardless of his subject. Just looking at the image could tell you what kind of person you were looking at.

This first image is a portrait of Jean Cocteau, a French poet. Upon looking, there is a sense of confusion as Cocteau is portrayed with multiple arms, carrying a pen, a book, a cigarette, a pair of scissors, a paint brush, and an empty hand at his side. There's a reason Halsman gives him all of these things, as well as all of these arms. It says something about how busy or crazy of a life Cocteau has, maybe it represents the little bit of free time he has, or it shows that he's so crafty, that he must have six arms! The point is, Halsman makes sure the exaggerate Cocteau's character.

Halsman's next image portrays well known artist, Salvador Dali. Dali was known for being over the top, imaginative, and just plain. Dali is also known for his introduction to the world of surrealism as well as the unconscious mind. His work would impact many other artists to come after him to do similar works. Halsman focuses on making Dali seem very out of the ordinary, just like his paintings. Dali's absurd facial expression and incredibly long moustache give him the sense of being a bit out there, and I think that's what Dali would have hoped for. It keeps Dali in a mysterious and strange light, one that would only amplify the meaning of his works as people get a sense for the kind of character it's creator was. In terms of lighting, Halsman gets very direct, leaving little room for shadows to form besides around the neck.

Phillipe Halsman had an entire series on people jumping. It was named "Jump Book" and would go on to produce many strange, and in my opinion fun images. Halsman use of studio lighting adds an odd sense of purity to his images. The people remind me of that of cartoons. Just very fun and whimsical. Halsman seems to choose many images with joyful expressions, and the more a person flails or looks a bit odd/disjointed while jumping, the better. It creates an unfamiliar still version of the human form that we don't get to see and stare at very often.