I watched a documentary last night about Saul Leiter called "In No Great Hurry" (review). You can watch it, too, for only $3.99 on iTunes. I think you can watch it for free if you have Amazon t.v., or you can buy the DVD for a few more dollars. You can also choose not to watch it at all. But that might be a shame.
I wondered why he wasn't really on my radar, but as it turns out, he wasn't on many people's radar for a long time. He is one of those people who just made pictures without promoting them. I guess. It is unclear to me why a photographer who shot for the big fashion magazines in the 1950's just drops out of sight. What did he do for money? How did he get by?
He was shooting color film back then, not uncommon for fashion work, but highly unusual for street photographers perhaps because of the cost. His framing is different for the era being highly fragmented and incomplete and blurred. Ili said that of all the pictures I've shown her, these are among her favorite.
I, too, like the pictures, but I want to know more about his life, his girlfriend/partner, Soames Bantry, often described as a model and a painter, and about their life together. I've searched the internet and found little.
The thing is, though. . . his ability to just keep making pictures year after year after year with little notice or attention. "I knew my work was good," he says.
"I knew my work was good."
ReplyDeleteYou should post more of your old work. As I said a few weeks ago - when you posted something of yours - the distance has been good for it. :)
I like the last photo especially. It's so Truro/Cape Cod/Hopperesque - I bet it was taken on Long Island.
I'm NOT heading to the Oregon Coast or Illinois for the eclipse. And I'm sad about that - but that tidbit can be added to the pile of things Lisa is sad about these days and who really cares about individual sadness when there is such a pall of overwhelming miasma hovering over us.
Instead I am taking my mother on a road trip to Philadelphia to visit my son in his new apartment.
We have reservations at a lovely Victorian B & B and dinner reservations at a "hard to get a seat" Middle Eastern restaurant. My niece will drive down from Jersey and meet us on Saturday.
Sam and I will wander the Barnes and the PMA tomorrow. There is a Twombly exhibit and a NatGeo photographer I happen to follow - Michael Nichols.
My mother has a lovely front porch to sit and enjoy reading and the shade. Her legs just can't handle the hard walking of museums anymore.
I hope your difficult factory week ends on a soft and light note...
It hasn't :(
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