“ A photographer’s gift to the viewer is sometimes beauty in the overlooked ordinary. “ *
– Saul Leiter
Saul Leiter had the ability to see what many of us cannot – the hidden, fleeting moments of the world around us.
Leiter (1923-2013) was an American photographer and painter who started out shooting black and white pictures before turning to color. He worked for fashion magazines for many years, but decided to break free of the limitations of the studio and began shooting on the street. It is this body of work, primarily of New York, that would secure his place among the masters of the medium.
He used a camera like a paint brush. Vibrant color combined with selective depth of field – sharp detail blending with a blur, creating poetic, abstract and mysterious images.
“ I take photographs in my neighborhood. I think that mysterious things happen in familiar places. We don’t always need to run to the other end of the world. “ *
– Saul Leiter
Leiter saw his urban landscapes with an impressionistic eye, not in a raw way as some photographers preferred. He transformed the ordinary into the unexpected.
Although he did not seek fame, or notoriety, recognition finally came to Saul in his eighties with numerous exhibitions and publications – well deserved for this poet of photography.
GR
17 July 2020
For more on the life and work of Saul Leiter, please visit –
Saul Leiter Foundation: http://www.saulleiterfoundation.org
Howard Greenberg Gallery: www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/saul-leiter
“ Saul Leiter “: https://youtu.be/Cw5KvGUwCg4
Sources:
*ALL ABOUT SAUL LEITER, published by Thames & Hudson
**www.saulleiterfoundation.org
___________________________________________________________
Cover photo: “Amour and Psyche“ (détail) by Antonio Canova, Louvre, Paris / George Romanation ©2012.
George Romanation 