A lifelong cinephile, Kobal believed that of the vestiges of this "Golden Age," the photographs of the era's most memorable personas were the most profound. He assembled these photographs in "Made in Hollywood" to offer a glimpse into this glamorous epoch and showcase his passion for collecting and curating American film culture through a photo-historical lens.
The presentation of the movie stars from this period such as Bogart, Dean, Holden, Garland, Monroe, Bergman, among many others was starkly different than it is today. As the Golden Age was governed by a "studio system" in which, through vertical integration, the studio conglomerates had ownership of virtually all aspects of production from the directors to the actors to the distributors, as well as most other players in Hollywood the studios, had an effective control over the publicity of Hollywood productions and its stars.
As the movie stars were essentially photographed as a commercial means by way of studio promotion, the photographs in Kobal's collection have been meticulously enhanced and embellished to capture the subjects in all their distinguished eminence. During that time, stars were not portrayed through a lens posturing realism their sexual liaisons, social indiscretions and family affairs were not brought to public focus to the extent that they are today.
"Unlike today, where the photographs we see of celebrities, like Lindsay Lohan or Brad Pitt, are candid shots' which seek to capture the real' behavior and spontaneity of the stars and often at their expense the pictures in this exhibit are constructed images which instead celebrate the stars' fame and glory," T. Barton Thurber, curator of the exhibit, said.
The commercial aim of these acclaimed shots is readily apparent, and as the fame of a particular star captured changed, so did the splendor and focus of the shot. Take, for example, the contrasting photographs of Golden Age icon Rita Hayworth, one taken in 1939 by Gene Korman and another captured by Robert Coburn seven years later for her prominent role in "Gilda." The former depicts a generic starlet posing alluringly on the snow while the latter, perhaps one of the most renown portraits of the era, depicts Hayworth smoking a cigarette in a sleek silk gown, accentuating her voluptuous figure and glamorous presence.
The photographs of starlet Joan Crawford are another example of this scrupulous, perfectionist retouching process, as her ubiquitous freckles are almost entirely invisible.
"Made in Hollywood" does not necessarily seek to further canonize the Golden Age into American popular culture, as it has long since been an epochal relic. But rather, and more effectively, the exhibit celebrates this bygone period by framing motion picture into the art of still photography and ironically refreshes the Golden Age for a new generation.
The exhibit, which opened this past Saturday, runs until September 12.