Seraphic Secret

Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Movie fanatic. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.

Friday Photos: Just Photos

by 12 Comments

Admit it, when you think of betty Grable you are thinking: legs. But Eugene-Robert Richee's 1930s portrait of Grable goes beyond the obvious.
Admit it, when you think Betty Grable you are thinking legs. But Eugene-Robert Richee’s 1930s portrait of Grable goes beyond the obvious.

No commentary today.

No rants about politics and culture.

I am drained.

Here are some random pictures that will, hopefully, enliven a darkling plain.

 

Michelangelo, Testa Divina, c.1520. Her hair seems to be alive.
Michelangelo, Testa Divina, c.1520. Her hair seems to be alive.

 

Andre de Dienes took this photo of Norma Jean Baker in 1949. Almost always using natural light, de Diennes posed his subjects on the beach, the mountains, or the countryside. Unlike so many other Hollywood photographers, de Diennes never retouched his photos. Thus, his portraits of MM capture a fresh beauty that is unique and appealing.
Andre de Dienes took this photo of Norma Jean Baker in 1949. Always using natural light, de Dienes posed his subjects on the beach, the mountains, or the countryside. Unlike so many other Hollywood photographers, de Dienes never retouched his negatives. Thus, his portraits of MM capture a fresh, innocent beauty.

 

And here's a fresh-faced Jean Harlow without makeup. Photo by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1932.
And here’s a fresh-faced Jean Harlow without makeup. Photo by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1932.

 

Sculpture by Anish Kapoor
Sculpture by Anish Kapoor

 

“The Quiet Man” memorial statue of Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne, village of Cong, Ireland,1953.
“The Quiet Man” memorial statue of Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, village of Cong, Ireland,1953.

 

Statue of Brigitte Bardot in Buzios, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Statue of Brigitte Bardot in Buzios, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

I take long walks on a daily basis. I think I know my neighborhood pretty well, and then boom, I cut down an alleyway and hit this blue wall.
I take long walks on a daily basis. I know my neighborhood pretty well, and then boom, one day I cut down an alleyway and hit this blue wall with a wound in it.

 

Painting by James Nares
Painting by James Nares

 

Audrey Hepburn jumps for joy. Photo by Philippe Halsman, 1955.
Audrey Hepburn jumps for joy. Photo by Philippe Halsman, 1955.

 

Toshiro Mifune jumps for joy because he's going to kill the bad guys. This still is from Seven Samurai, the greatest movie ever made, the movie that made me want to be a screenwriter.
Toshiro Mifune jumps for joy because he’s going to kill the bad guys. Still is from “Seven Samurai,” 1954, the greatest movie ever made, the movie that made me want to be a screenwriter.

 

I love the IDF.
I love the IDF.

 

Paulette Goddard and her portrait, painted by Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, 1941.
Paulette Goddard and her portrait, painted by Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, 1941.

 

Tallulah Bankhead by Augustus John, 1930. Bankhead treasured this portrait and always had it on display wherever she lived.
Tallulah Bankhead by Augustus John, 1930. Bankhead treasured this portrait and always had it on display wherever she lived.

 

Joan Crawford proudly displays her shoe closet.
Joan Crawford treasured her shoes.

 

Freud asked: What do women want? Talk about clueless. Women want shoes. And what can be better than Pink Flamingo Stilettos by Sophia Webster.
Freud asked: “What do women want?” Talk about clueless. Women want shoes, Siggy! And what can be better than Pink Flamingo Stilettos by Sophia Webster. Crawford would definitely approve.

 

Members of a Jewish Football Team in Minneapolis, 1928.
Members of a Jewish Football Team in Minneapolis, 1928.

 

Karen and I were in our local Walmart. I didn't pose this picture. It just, y'know, happened.
Karen and I were in our local Walmart. I didn’t pose this picture. It just, y’know, happened.

 

Micha Bar-Am, Picasso exhibit in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1966.
Micha Bar-Am, Picasso exhibit in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1966.

 

French poster for “The Searchers,” 1956.
French poster for “The Searchers,” 1956.

 

American actress Louise Brooks (1906 - 1985) wearing a long necklace which stands out starkly against a black background. Photo by Eugene Robert Richee, 1928.
American actress Louise Brooks (1906 – 1985) wearing a long necklace which stands out starkly against a black background. Photo by Eugene Robert Richee, 1928.

 

Livia Yarden wishes all our friends and relatives a tranquil and inspirational Shabbat.
Livia Yarden wishes all our friends and relatives a tranquil and inspirational Shabbat.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I kind of think Jean Harlow looks a bit like Julia Roberts in that photo. Or at least, has a similar expression.

    Mom and I are headed to Ireland in two weeks. We will be within a 90 minute drive from Cong–will have to go see the Quiet Man statue!

  2. I really like the pictures. The one of Paulette Goddard reminds me: she looks so much like Donna Reed. I first noticed that when I saw her in “So Proudly We Hail.” Her role as a nurse was so similar to Reed’s in “They Were Expendable.”

    Thanks for your work on this site!

  3. The lovely photo of the lovely Livia Yarden trumps all, of course. What could ever compare with a baby sporting spiky hair and a funny expression on her shayna punim?

    The surprising and breath-taking shot of Louise Brooks runs a close second, though.

  4. Robert, you have outdone yourself on picture selection. There are so many things bouncing around in my mind to comment on about them, but I’ll only mention a few. About the Anish Kapoor: Don’t fall down while admiring it. I exclaimed, “Quiet Man!” before I saw the caption on the photo of that marvelous statue. Livia Yarden is obviously a deeply contemplative child.

  5. Love the Testa Divina, simple, yet elegant. Up in the morning run the brush a couple quick times through the hair then off to the pallazio for the day!

  6. I too wonder at the difference in a woman’s face. I am always in awe of photos like MM & Harlow where I believe they were so much lovelier sans makeup. While I LOVE JH, I never really thought she was so pretty until the first photo I saw of her this way.
    And the WalMart photo is fabulous!

  7. I can’t get over h9w different women look without makeup. Norma Jean is probably the most dramatic.

    I wonder if Marilyn ever wished she had stayed Norma Jean. She looked happier.

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