Slim Aarons and his Americana

By Dawn Lui

George “Slim” Aarons in one of his interviews expressed his surprise on the later success of his photography book “A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life.” The book initially did not garner much popularity, but since the late 1980s gained its status as the inspiration of American upper echelon aesthetic. Raised in New York and New Hampshire, Aarons began his photography career in the army, serving as a combat photographer during World War Two. After witnessing the fall of Tobruk and the liberation of Rome, Aarons retired from his military career with a Purple Heart.

Perhaps fatigued from the violence of conflict, Aarons took a sharp turn in his photography direction, which he started to document the affluent lives of the Hollywood Elite. Aarons eventually relocated to Rome to work for Life Magazine’s Italian branch, finding his footing in his glittering creation of the luxurious world of rich and famous Americans on holiday. Working for leading leisure and fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, Aarons was able to attend parties in Beverly Hills, The Hamptons, and Park Avenue, despite being stationed in Rome. With his famous leitmotif in only photographing “attractive people who were doing attractive things in attractive places,” Aaron’s works are stark representations of his fatigue in war and violence, searching for alternative sources of inspiration

Slim Aarons, *Sunbathers gather along a pier at the Lido, Venice*, 1957

The popularity of Aarons’ privileged, sought after lifestyles on glossy photographs reflected the attitude of the American living in post-war Americana. Since World War Two and the end of the Vietnam War, attitudes on anti-war and violence swept across the North American country. Aaron’s blissful, almost dissociative interpretation of America—stylish, aesthetically pleasing, leisure became the new American Dream. A dream of escaping an era of instability, recession, and traumas of war—an idyllic vision of what American should have been.

Aarons’ choice of depicting wide open spaces with stunning landscapes, and his most frequent feature: a crystal blue swimming pool, completely dislocates the sense of America geographically. Rather, Aarons presents the spirit of the elite American lifestyle on a never-ending holiday, wearing colorful capris and Dior sunglasses, sipping expensive martinis on a yacht somewhere in the middle of Europe. This limbo-like state of indefinite leisure is a world parallel to the reality for America, still dealing with the pain and violence of two devasting wars. Perhaps in Aarons' perspective, this represents the escapism American people yearned for.

Slim Aarons, *Designer Lawrence Peabody and his son Thomas at Boedecia, the family villa, Haiti,* 1975.

The works by Aarons not only were influential within the world of photography, his composition, use of colour and location became a major inspiration within the fashion world. Aarons was meticulous on tiny design elements; from a pocket square to a throw pillow, he interweaves different layers of texture and colour within his photographic works. Rather than using a flash to stabilize his subject’s lightings, he opted to work without strobes, or photo assistants. His strong desire to only photograph with natural lighting, usually on a sunny afternoon, produces these airy and bright snippets of intimate yet effortless glamour. A significant focal point of Aarons’ work was the subjects. The people presented within Aaron’s catalogue were always immaculately refined. From Lauren Becall to Humphrey Boggart, the men and women, from famous stars to rich heiresses must be presented at their finest under Aaron’s camera lens, relaxing at a poolside gala or a ski resort. The bright midday sun and glamourous resort hence made Aarons’ works instantly recognisable.

Throughout the 70s and 80s, the boom of consumer culture shot Aarons’ works into popularity. His portrayals of lavish mid-century styled interiors, chic jumpers and coats gave contemporary magazine readers glimpses into the lives of the people at the tip of the social hierarchy. Its effortlessness in presenting the luxurious wardrobes of the upper echelons slowly seeps into the ways of fashion photography, mirroring a much-desired lifestyle that its readers can escape and live in through flipping those glossy magazine pages.

Slim Aarons’ Americana is an effortless attitude of leisure and enjoyment. His Americana is champagne popping on a cruise ship while bathing under the Lake Como sun in the middle of July. Aarons’ Americana is a detached, idealized, caricature of an exaggerated lifestyle. Perhaps in an ironic way, Slim Aaron’s Americana, intentional or not, perfectly summarizes the core of post-war contemporary America: capitalistic, materialistic, politically banal and reality-escaping.

Slim Aarons, *Sun worshippers at La Concha Beach Club, a resort known for its pink-and-white decor, Acapulco,* 1975.

Notes:

Nast, Condé. 2023. “Slim Aarons’s Photography Caught the Elite in Their Habitats. A New Book Captures a Lost World.” Vanity Fair. August 10, 2023. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/08/slim-aarons-new-book-captures-a-lost-world.

“Slim Aarons | Getty Images Gallery.” 2018. November 15, 2018. https://gettyimagesgallery.com/collection/slim-aarons/.