Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 06:30 PM 4/2/99 +0200, you wrote: >Your total lack of respect for a dead colleague is quite surprising. Of So my belief that Gene Smith was one of the greatest photojournalists to ever live doesn't mean anything? >With that I meant to emphasize the fact that Gene never really recovered >from the very severe physical beatings he received from the Chisso henchmen. >As you know Chisso was the company who allowed their mercury waste to >pollute Minamata Bay. And he found a similar situation in Thunder Bay in Canada, not all that far away form Midland (to throw some topic back into this discussion! <G>) >I have no reason to doubt your claim that Gene abused alcohol and >amphetamines at the time when he died of a stroke. You have probably read Not at all. I don't know if he as abusing drugs at that point. But for many, many years he was abusing them, especially in the 50s. Combine that with the damage created by the Chisso goons, and whatever other pressures he was feeling, and it ended up killing him with the stroke. To ignore the years of abuse as contributory to his demise (I know some people don't want to think their actions will shorten their lives years hence) is ignoring the facts. >ailing man full of physical pain as well as having several mental scars. >Eric, I doubt anyone of us could get through a third of Gene´s experience >without the relief of a painkiller. Yes, my father, who was dying of cancer, was on heavy painkillers. They almost killed him once too. But Gene Smith was an extremely complex man. To dismiss what he did in the past that we wouldn't do now by saying he was always pursuing the truth is to bury one's head in the sand. We can't ignore his faults, along with his genius. I would love to have met and talked with Gene Smith. He was unique (I've been using that word a lot recently). But until I research it more, and in light of Tina's post, I will retract that that particular picture was set up. Maybe it wasn't, maybe it was. It's a wonderful picture nonetheless, and his overall career is not lessened if it was. I will always respect him for the amazing pictures he was able to envision, and then realize in print. Nobody will ever equal him in many ways. No wonder he burned out. Didn't Mozart burn out like that? (No amphetamines, mind you <G>). Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch Bumper Sticker: "Horn doesn't work; Watch for finger"