Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/10/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I've had the opportunity to see MAB's work over the past 30 odd years, and I always marvelled at the art world's fawning over him. While there is a level of competency inherent in his images, they are nowhere near the level of Weston, and some of the others from that era. Recently, the Central Library in Los Angeles had both the work of MAB and EW showing side by side. It did nothing to dispel my perception of the marked qualitative difference between the two. EW is decidedly a master photographer, while MAB's work looked like that of a student's, with sparse moments of brilliance. HCB's appellation of "artist" being given to a photographer is in itself laughable, especially when one considers his own agonizing over the definition of his commercial work. With all due respect to the memory of MAB, his greatest accomplishment to me is that of his longevity and not in the quality of his work. Slobodan Dimitrov > from a website: > The respect which he engendered was encapsulated in Cartier-Bresson's > remark when someone likened Álvarez Bravo's imagery to Weston's: "Don't > compare them, Manuel is the real artist." > Mark Rabiner wrote: > > Dave Myers wrote: > > > > My wife Kathy and I saw a small exhibit of some of his photos at the Chicago > > Institute of Art a few months ago. It was in celebration of his 100th > > birthday. I have always admired his work. Seeing them in person was very > > impressive. Particularly the one showing the murdered, striking worker -- > > one of his most famous pieces. Very powerful. > > > > Dave > > > > When I think of him i think not of his work but the tight headshot of > him by Edward Weston. The only shot on an entire wall of Westons > bungalow which he designed himself although also probably with Charis. > It is one of my very favorte shots by Weston. There is much on Bravo in > the Weston Mexico Daybook > > Mark Rabiner > Portland, Oregon USA > http://www.markrabiner.com > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html