W. Eugene Smith

W. Eugene Smith is interesting for lots of reasons - he was always a compassionate observer, and sometimes his compassion immobilized him. Regardless he took a number of the iconic photographs of the 20th century including the ones I've attached here. If you want a quick look at more about him go to the PBS American Masters site.

Guarda Civil, Spain, 1950

Spanish Spinner. 1950

KKK, North Carolina. 1951

The Walk to Paradise Garden. 1947

Tomoko in her bath. 1972. Considered Smith's greatest photo, it was part of a series on the devastation of industrial pollution in the Japanese town of Minamata. Smith was brutally beaten in an attempt to stop his reporting on the damage and nearly lost his eyesight. For an interesting essay on the photo click here

From the Country Doctor photo essay, one of Smith's most famous, published in Life in 1948. Smith followed Dr. Ernest Ceriani of Kremmling, Colorado for 23 days. To see more images and the essay layout click here

Thelonius Monk, Jazz Loft project. Smith left his suburban home and family in 1957 and moved into a dilapidated building in New York City's flower district. The building was a gathering place for  jazz artists including Charles Mingus, Zoot Sims, Thelonius Monk and many others. Between 1957 and 1965 Smith took more than 40,000 photographs both of the jam sessions and from his window looking out at the passing scene. For more about the Jazz Loft project click here

 For more information on the Jazz Loft Project check out this blog post from the New York Times. I hope this tiny preview will interest some of you enough to check out more of Smith's work.