Re: [Leica] Auction results

[Dante A Stella <dante@umich.edu>]

    I meant, "no accounting for taste in what people buy" (referring to the
post WWII work).  I mean, Gilbert & George?!  I am much more enthusiastic about
Pierre et Gilles...  er...

    But you're right - the world's greatest pictures are 99% photographer and
1% equipment.

Dan Post wrote:

> Dante-
> At the risk of ticking you off! Let me say that even though I love Leicas,
> and enjoy the marque for many reasons, I have used other cameras, and have
> gotten good results, awards, kudos and derisive laughter all with other
> brands- so I am still firmly convinced the photographer is the real secret
> behind a good photograph.
> Erwin has many times demonstrated that the Leica glass is about the best for
> accurately recording an image, but if the photographer there when the image
> happens is not using a Leica- it still doesn't mean the image is not goign
> to be a 'winner'! It may, or may not have been a better image if the
> photographer used a Leica, but we don't know. He may be like me, uxe a film
> like Tri-x with grain like oatmeal, and a slow shutter speed, and the
> resulting resolution might be the same as if I used a lens hand ground from
> the bottom of a Lagavulin bottle!
> Too bad Tina is not on the list- she does use Leica, and to amazingly good
> effect! However- if she were hard press and bandidos made off with her Leica
> kit, I bet you dollars to donuts that she could take a Canon, and a f1.2
> lens, and with a little bit of skill, of which she is endowed, still make
> eyecatching and stunning shots that when seen on the web would be
> indistinguishable from what she normally does! Heck, the front of the Canon
> might not even fall off into the mud!
> The fact that she uses Leica means only two things to me-
> One, she must feel comfortable with the tool, and knows how to use it. I
> know some people who can take the finest cabinet chisel and do nothing more
> than destroy a piece of wood. I remember as a child watching old Mr.
> Laughridge, who had just broken a hammer handle- take a billet of hickory,
> and after roughing out a new handle with his pocket knife, proceeded to
> finish and smooth it with a piece of broken glass! Voila! Back to work!
> Two- I reckon she uses Leica because she likes to Schmooze with the likes of
> us, and enjoys the camaraderie since she lives in such a backwater place
> as-<GULP> South Carolina!!!
>
> Normally, I seem to identify more with Erwins 'black sheep' brother, Hubert-
> but this time I think Erwin, in his roundabout way, is absolutely right!
> It'll be interesting to see!
>
> Dan (Thinking of putting a red alligator grain cover on a black painted
> IIIc!!) Post
>
> NB - as Fernando used to say,"It's more important to LOOK good, than to FEEL
> good!"
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dante A Stella" <dante@umich.edu>
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>; "Erwin Puts" <imxputs@knoware.nl>
> Cc: <leica@topica.com>
> Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2000 11:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Auction results
>
> >
> > There's no accounting for taste!
> >
> > Which was the most-represented type in 1940-1960 - was it the Speed
> Graphic,
> > the Contax, or something else?  I'm guessing in that period it was
> something
> > 4x5 or larger, since 35mm cameras were still scoffed at.
> >
> > Dante
> >
> > Erwin Puts wrote:
> >
> > > After discussing WWII and the bombing of Dresden, (neo)nazis,
> pornography
> > > and a slew of other topics, that are intimately related to the use of
> Leica
> > > cameras, maybe this list is really off-topic. Below is a list of the top
> ten
> > > current photographers, as ranked by their combined auction sales.
> > > Cindy Sherman, USA, 1954
> > > Thomas Struth. Germany, 1954
> > > Andreas Gursky, Germany, 1955
> > > Gibert & George, UK, 1943/1942
> > > Charles Ray, USA, 1953
> > > Nan Goldin, USA, 1953
> > > Richard Prince, USA, 1949
> > > Andres Serrano, USA, 1950
> > > Bruce Nauman, USA, 1941
> > > Thomas Ruff, Germany, 1958.
> > >
> > > The ranking of old masters is:
> > > Gustave Le Gray, France, 1820
> > > Edward Weston, USA, 1886
> > > Man Ray, USA/Fr, 1890
> > > Paul Strand, USA, 1890
> > > Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Hungary, 1895
> > > Edward Steichen, USA, 1897
> > > Hippolyte Bayard, Fr, 1801
> > > Alfred Stieglitz, USA, 1864
> > > Ansel Adams, USA, 1902
> > > Andre Kertesz, Hungary/USA, 1894
> > >
> > > With the possible exception of some work by Kertesz, no Leica
> photographers
> > > among these top twenty.
> > > And note the very fertile years from 1950 to 1955 and the period 1885 to
> > > 1895,
> > > According to this very crude statistic, the next generation of famous
> > > photographers will be born around 2010 and use a digital camera?
> > >
> > > Erwin
> >
> >