[Leica] Photographers of the Century

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

>>>Given my Taoist inclinations,
the thought of singling out one photographer is like deciding what is
the best herb and throwing away the rest.<<<

Donal,
No need to throw everybody else away! And no need to come to a
consensus.

We also have a slight semantic disjunct. Does "Photographer of the
Century" mean the most influential and important photographers of the
past hundred years, or the photographer who did the most to photograph
the significant events and people of the past hundred years? By the
latter measure, Eisenstadt is a very good choice. But to me, the phrase
implies the former.

For me, the question is easy: I reflect first on which photographers had
the most influence on other photographers.

Then I look at accomplishments with photography, and accomplishments
within the field of photography.

I would nominate Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson jointly as the
Photographers of the Century.

Both had careers which demonstrate to a convincing degree just how much
can be accomplished in photography. Both created bodies of work which
are considered _nonpareil_ by fellow practitioners of similar styles.
Both substantially redefined their genres. Both had extensive influence
on other photographers that extended well beyond imitation. Both founded
or helped found important institutions (Adams was influential in
founding Group f/64, _Aperture_ magazine, the Photography Department at
the Museum of Modern Art, and The Friends of Photography in Carmel, and
he contributed materially to the Sierra Club; Cartier-Bresson, of
course, was one of the founders of Magnum. Either man would thus have
been an important figure in the history of photography if he had never
taken a photograph!). Both left very fully developed, aesthetically
coherent, large bodies of work of exceptionally high caliber. Even
technically, both men had great influence: Adams, of course, for the
Zone System, but Cartier-Bresson too, as the apotheosis of the pure
shooter!

As I said, there is no prize at stake here and no need to come to any
consensus. As you imply, it might even be obnoxious to do so. It is
valuable enough to consider the contributions of great photographers,
and look at the issue of influence and importance from different angles.
I think it honors the many people whose names have been, and will be,
mentioned, and it honors our field of endeavor...

- --Mike