by Jing Ramos

Sir Cecil Beaton (1904–1980) was long known as a society photographer since 1926. Beaton’s fascination with glamour and high society led him to become court photographer for the British Royal Family in 1937. He also progressed into successful stage and film productions, most exceptionally My Fair Lady (1964) and Gigi (1958). His career, however, took off earlier in the mid-1920s when he began to contribute photographs and illustrations to Vogue magazine.

Nancy and Baba Beaton by Cecil Beaton, 1926

Cecil Beaton’s photographs defined a glittering generation of eminent artists, royalty, bohemians, actors, and actresses. Beaton’s inimitable elegance brings to life a deliciously eccentric and creative era of British cultural life.

Truman Capote by Cecil Beaton 1948

Mick Jagger by Cecil Beaton 1967

Queen Elizabeth the Second, bromide print by Cecil Beaton 1968. National Portrait Gallery,London

Cecil Beaton remained an arbiter of fashion throughout his career, from the 1920s to the 1960s. His flair for theatricality and elegance captured both celebrities and royalty in his signature, highly stylised compositions. In his long and diversified life, he flourished in creating a persona for himself—snobbish, confident, and often dismissive. As writer Truman Capote once said, “Cecil was that rare creature—a total self-creation.” He succeeded in rising to a position where his opinion was valued and respected, particularly in matters of taste.

The National Portrait Gallery of London honored Cecil Beaton with a retrospective in year 2020

Evelyn Waugh by Cecil Beaton 1920

Nancy Mitford by Cecil Beaton 1929

Cecil Beaton’s influence on portrait photography remains pivotal and lives on today in the works of contemporary photographers. He was celebrated by the National Portrait Gallery in London in the spring of 2020 for his portfolio of a rebellious group of artists, writers, and socialites from the 1920s through the 1930s. Bright Young Things captured that spirit, reflecting a dramatic imprint on social mores of the epoch. Among the impressive cast were Stephen Tennant, the Mitford sisters, Siegfried Sassoon, Evelyn Waugh, and Daphne du Maurier. This exhibition charted Beaton’s transformation from a suburban schoolboy to a member of the glitterati. More than a photographer, Beaton turned himself into a society fixture in his own right.

Cecil Beaton and Stephen Tennant, Riviera Wanderers photographed by Maurice Beck and Helen McGregor 1927, National Portrait Gallery, London

by Jing Ramos

Richard Avedon had photographed every single important personality in the cultural landscape of the last century. Long known for his images of stylish and urbane women decked out in Balenciaga or Dior, under Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland’s mentorship, he made his mark with the iconic photograph of Dovima with the elephants, evening dress by Christian Dior, Cirque d’Hiver in Paris, 1955.

Dovima with elephants, Cirque d’Hiver Paris, 1955

And yet, in spite of Richard Avedon’s mammoth commercial success, he pined for loftier ideals. The photographer craved gravitas—portraits that remained pure and unvarnished and had a universal appeal. Always in black and white and photographed against a white background, Avedon’s portraits were often viewed as clinical, stone-cold, and sometimes unflattering. Think of the ones he did of artist Louise Nevelson and writer Isak Dinesen.

Duke and Duchess of Windsor New York, 1957

Other than their historical significance, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were trailblazers in the cult of celebrity. The couple left the UK following Edward VIII’s abdication from the throne of England in order to marry the American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. The scandal shook the world while cultural depictions of the two most pursued celebrities behind the camera lenses continued to spur interest and influence.

Andy Warhol, New York, 1968

Andy Warhol was likened to the “enfant terrible” of the international art scene. A pivotal pop artist famous for his silk-screened portraits of celebrities and pop figures ranging from Chairman Mao to actress Marilyn Monroe, Warhol drew imagery from advertising, mass media, and celebrity culture, and was regarded as the most important artist of the second half of the 20th century.

Countess Jacqueline des Ribes, 1955

Jacqueline de Ribes did not make her signature cultural identity until she became actively involved as manager of the International Ballet of the Marquis de Cuevas, following the death of its founder, George de Cuevas. The Countess received from the French state in 2010 the Légion d’honneur, the highest national order of merit established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

Rudolf Nureyev, 1962

The Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer is regarded as the pre-eminent male ballet dancer of the 20th century. In 1961, he defected to the West after a Kirov Ballet performance in Paris and instantly became a “cause célèbre,” known for his technical brilliance, particularly in his performance of Swan Lake in 1964. His lavish personal life added to his bravado.

Jorge Luis Borges, Buenos Aires, 1975

The Argentine poet, essayist, and short-story writer whose notable works include Dream Tigers became one of the literary giants of the 20th century, though he eventually suffered from total blindness. When General Perón was deposed in 1955, Borges became director of the National Library, along with an honorary position at the University of Buenos Aires. Richard Avedon personally flew to Buenos Aires for a special photographic sitting with the celebrated blind poet, and he would later recount that his portrait of Borges turned out to be stillborn—a death mask.

by Jing Ramos

The title of this article is a reference to the erstwhile film critic Pauline Kael, who wrote essays for The New Yorker. Ms. Kael enhanced my interest in film culture, turning me into a self-avowed cinephile through her articles.

Cinema in the 1960s was characterized by the pervasive growth of youth culture and shifting societal expectations. Filmmaking techniques evolved with a novel sense of trial and experimentation in visual style.

Movies captured the era’s spirit, documented the counterculture, and propelled narrative and technical boundaries. It became a platform that defined a generation’s identity and confronted public issues of the time.

1. Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless
Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless attracted global attention for its bold visual style, which included the unconventional use of jump cuts that broke traditional editing rules. The stylistic approach combined themes of alienation and existential freedom. The film became a touchstone for the French New Wave movement and remains as cool now as it was upon its first release.

2. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey was credited with having a profound influence on the science-fiction genre. Stanley Kubrick’s film, with its ambiguous, non-linear story and minimal dialogue, encouraged free interpretation of its narrative. It also established a realistic vision of space technology while questioning the validity of advanced artificial intelligence.

3. John Schlesinger’s Darling
Julie Christie’s role as a shallow social climber was likened to the Becky Sharp character in William Thackeray’s classic Vanity Fair. Director John Schlesinger’s version of this engaging story showcased a cynical portrait of the superficiality and ambition of London’s fashion and celebrity scene in the 1960s. The film also won an Oscar for Julie Christie as Best Actress in 1966.

4. Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita
Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita introduced a fragmented structure, shifting from Italian neorealism to a more subjective aesthetic hailed as a masterpiece of post-war cinema. The film’s title became synonymous with a certain kind of glamorous and hedonistic lifestyle often pursued by the paparazzi.

5. David Hemmings and Veruschka in Blow-Up
Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up disregarded conventional plot structure, creating a psychological thriller that explored themes of perception and reality. The film famously provided a cultural document of London in the swinging ’60s, capturing its vibrant social and artistic milieu—particularly its fashion and youth lifestyle. It also won the Palme d’Or at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival.