Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>>In 1940 the *Photo >>League* associated an impressive number of creators, very different, >>like Strand, Siskind, Weegee or Weston. The mission for this movement >>was to promote the true, or real photography, spread and make popular >>the life and the struggle of American workers, and fight against >>reactionary works. Considered as an excrescence of the American >>communist party, this progressive association was combated by the >>maccarthy power and was dissolved in 1951. Off this particular topic (sorry for spoiling the party) the photo-league was (is) a fascinating movement in that, without any motive other than truth, some of the finest eyes and minds ever in photography took it upon themselves to work to expose the injustice that ruled industrial America. As a result of his involvement Paul Strand was in effect blackballed from the then popular media (life, Look, etc.). He of course spent his later years and eventually died in an unofficial, self imposed exile. Powerful stuff. Then there's the dADa period, which is of course the original multi-media movement. Let's all take a big fucking chill pill and go forward. Doesn't that sound nice? Regards, Ben W. Holmes Boulder, CO USA bholmes@frii.com