Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
yes, any help would be more than gratefully appreciated, please?
I have plenty of decent quality photographic books from the likes of Brett, Michael Smith, Pirkle Jones, Paul Strand, Morley Baer and Saint Ansel etc
what I'm really interested in is more of the 'nitty gritty biography stuff' - the kind of writing about photographers on what 'made them tick etc etc', their lives, passions, interests etc - Lee Miller's biography is an example, where there was a whole range of stuff from relationships, travel, bohemian living, food, alcohol etc etc and the odd spot of photography per se, so that sort of stuff
fwiw, I have 'essays on Paul Strand's life' - that's not what I'm after and I've read Edward's 'day books' and Saint A's stuff too
it's those with 'a bohemian slant' that I'm particularly after
thanks for looking (and possibly also assisting)
andrew
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
I haven't seen much of what your asking for.
Brassi's letters to his parents is interesting.
The biography of Tina Modoti gives some different and interesting insights into Weston. (For example, I did not realize from the Daybooks that she had "cut him off.")
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
Hi Wilhelm/Bill
that's great, many thanks - it's a very decent start
regards
andrew
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
I don't know what you mean by the "nitty-gritty" or a "bohemian slant." But Diane Arbus was bisexual and you can find some information about that aspect of her life in "Diane Arbus - A Biography" by Patricia Bosworth. Ditto for Ruth Bernhhard and her auto-biography "Between Life And Art." There were various rumors about Ansel Adams' possible affairs or hoped-for affairs and there's a little of that in Mary Street Alinder's biography of him. And of course there's always Robert Mapplethorpe and his biography titled "Mapplethorpe" by Patricia Morrisroe. These are all pretty serious and good books (though there was a lot of controversy about some of the stuff in Alinder's) and the "nitty gritty" or "bohemian" aspects are only a minor part of them so if it's an expose' you're after they probably don't qualify.
I own quite a few other biographies and auto-biographies of photographers but since most serious biographies contain "nitty gritty" information - that's kind of the idea of a biography - I don't know how to distinguish those that contain "nitty gritty" (or "bohemian") information from any others.
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
There are several good biographies of Walker Evans; a full one by Belinda Rathbone(?)
as well as "The Last Years of Walker Evans" by Jerry Thompson, and a recent memoir by his second wife. These all sound like what you're looking for.
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brian Ellis
I don't know what you mean by the "nitty-gritty" or a "bohemian slant." But Diane Arbus was bisexual and you can find some information about that aspect of her life in "Diane Arbus - A Biography" by Patricia Bosworth. Ditto for Ruth Bernhhard and her auto-biography "Between Life And Art." There were various rumors about Ansel Adams' possible affairs or hoped-for affairs and there's a little of that in Mary Street Alinder's biography of him. And of course there's always Robert Mapplethorpe and his biography titled "Mapplethorpe" by Patricia Morrisroe. These are all pretty serious and good books (though there was a lot of controversy about some of the stuff in Alinder's) and the "nitty gritty" or "bohemian" aspects are only a minor part of them so if it's an expose' you're after they probably don't qualify.
I own quite a few other biographies and auto-biographies of photographers but since most serious biographies contain "nitty gritty" information - that's kind of the idea of a biography - I don't know how to distinguish those that contain "nitty gritty" (or "bohemian") information from any others.
Hi Brian
I'm very grateful for this and for the content, thanks indeed
regards
andrew
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sampson
There are several good biographies of Walker Evans; a full one by Belinda Rathbone(?)
as well as "The Last Years of Walker Evans" by Jerry Thompson, and a recent memoir by his second wife. These all sound like what you're looking for.
Hi Mark
thanks for this and for the time taken
regards
andrew
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
O'Keeffe and Stieglitz: An American Romance is an interesting view of the machinations of art and manipulation by these two.
Portrait in Light and Shadow: The Life of Yousuf Karsh is the best on him I have seen.
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cowanw
O'Keeffe and Stieglitz: An American Romance is an interesting view of the machinations of art and manipulation by these two.
Portrait in Light and Shadow: The Life of Yousuf Karsh is the best on him I have seen.
Hi Bill
thank you too for your input
regards
andrew
Re: Help please? - interesting Biographies of Photographers
ManRay, American Artist
Margaret Bourke-White
ManRay would be more "Bohemian" and likely more candid.