Marlene Dietrich 1937

In the photographs of George Hurrell (1904-1992) glamour is still alive. He began working for the Hollywood studios when he was 25. A century younger than his colleague Clarence Sinclair Bull, he increased the enticing softness in his portraits to a theatrical game of light and shadow.  In post-production, he intensively edited the negatives with Indian ink and graphite powder through which he turned the models into perfect sculptures through retouching and gradation. His drawing abilities and his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago came in handy. Intimacy and romance form a union of drama and aloofness. From Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, James Cagney, Mae West and Gary Cooper to Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Newman, Michael Douglas and John Travolta: For over 60 years, these stars have been under the lights set up by George Hurrell. He himself became a Hollywood legend, who was brought back to life in 1995 in the documentary “Legends in the Light.”