Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]All, Gene Smith was one of the greatest, perhaps eclipsing even HCB, IMVHO. The reason I say this is/was his different style. If you spend time with Country Doctor, Minimata or Spanish Village, you know that he was an artist first, photographer second. I have (somewhere) a book entitled Great Photographic Essays from LIFE, which you all should have. In it, selected LIFE photo essays are printed as they appeared in the magazine as originally published. The narrative which introduces each essay comments on the photographer and the layout. Spanish Village is characterized as "the icy pinnacle of perfection." Yikes. Of course, to walk through the pages is to visit some extraordinary and near-perfect images. Three soldiers with tricorn(?) hats looking off into the distance. The spinster. They were invasive, active, bold, piercing, wonderful. They were not snapshots. They are among the best you will ever see. David W. Almy Annapolis