I consider myself only reasonably knowledgeable about modern and contemporary photographers, but I have known about the work of Joel Meyerowitz for a very, very long time. At least two decades I am sure, primarily via his Cape Cod color work but also from other sources.
Not for me to say how much influence his work has had on other photographers, but an American photographer who is invited to exhibit at the Jeu de Paume in Paris is not a person languishing in total obscurity.
Sandy King
Wow, I am stunned! Meyerowitz is too **radical** for this forum?
Even if you exclude most of the images made throughout his long career, Meyerowitz has earned his place in the history of photography by:
1) Working daily in the streets of New York with Winogrand, Arbus, et. al. in the 1960's,
2) Writing a very well regarded book on that "field", "A History of Street Photography", that includes one of the most inciteful analysis' of Frank's accomplishments taht I have seen,
3) Creating his highly regarded film "Pop", and
4) Gaining access to Ground Zero when it was next to impossible, then going daily with an 8x10 view camera over a period of almost a year, working 18 hours a day, to create an incredible document of that space.
I have seen him present and talk about his Ground Zero work twice. I was absolutely stunned by the effort required to create the archive, at great personal expense, as much as by the images.
Personally, I had thought Meyerowitz was as well known within the history of photography as Weston. Certainly better known than someone rather obscure, like Atget.
Wow!
I always enjoyed Meyerowitz's stuff, all of it. He's right up there with Misrach. And one of his large prints would look awesome over our couch.
On a side note, did you know he did the Newport cigarette ads for a few decades? Good old (Jewish) boy NYC connections... cigarette advertising paid for a lot more of his fine art work than any freaking tax-payer funded grants.
That alone -- that he was a working commercial photographer doing higher end fine art, better than all those effete intellectual MFA snobs -- sold me on Meyerowitz. He's a good guy and a smart businessman/artist.
Not radical at all anything but as a matter of fact.....
1.. so what? I am good friends with Dan Burkholder, that does not make me a better or worse photographer
2.. well regarded by whom? I guess it is a matter of interest, if street photography floats your boat, then it is no surprise...
3... Must be in the back bin of Amazon, first time I heard about this film...not so highly regarded by all I guess.
4..shameless self promotion, and not so good pics at that...at least what I saw. I have carried the 12x20 on my back, uphill BOTH ways on my knees, took a few pics and shelve them away...just because it is difficult it does not make it good...
We were talking about his place in the history of photography. I forgot - if it is something that you don't care about, it doesn't exist.Originally Posted by Jorge Gasteazoro
What happens at ground zero *does* happen to be history. The same as what happened in the streets of New York in the 60's with Winogrand, Arbus, et. al.
When you are in the books maybe someone will give a shit about you crawling on your knees. Until then, I agree - no-one cares about those pictures.
I think we have to accept the possibility that Zapatista Rebels have kidnapped Jorge and somebody has gotten ahold of his computer. We should let the State Department know before his reputation is ruined.
Did I say I don't care about it? No, like usual with you who beleive all is wonderful because a critic told you, you assumed I did not.
LOL...history, yeah right.
I might be crawling on my knees, but I least I have my own mind, you instead need someone else to tell you what is good. Geeez, you are such a mature person..
Zapatista rebels where from the Mexican revolution in 1910, they are not around anymore. So if you plan to be "cute" at least try (as difficult as this might be to you) to know what you are talking about.
Are you up to date in anything??
"The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) is an armed revolutionary group based in Chiapas, one of the poorest states of Mexico. "
"The group takes its name from Emiliano Zapata, a proponent of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920); The Zapatistas see themselves as his ideological heirs.
In 1994, they declared war "against the Mexican state.""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapatis...nal_Liberation
geez..they are writing about this Subcomandante Marcos guy even in germany.
No, Jorge. The Zapatistas are modern rebels based in Chiapas. They are called the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), obviously named after the early 20th-Century revolutionary Zapata but very modern. I thought you lived there.
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