Gregory wrote --
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Luis,
>>>
Rest assured that I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Weston and his work.<<<<
*I'm curious, why?
(the following is written hastily, due to a lack of time)
Historically, he was one of the great pioneering American Modernists, whose work included still-life, landscape, portraiture, the nude, industrial, documentary, and more. He succeeded at all of these things, producing work that has stood the test of time internationally, and in all arenas. At every turn, he raised the bar for the medium, helped others in their own path, and did so living near poverty much of the time, with little recognition during most of his life, outside of the West Coast photographic coterie.
At a personal level.... His incredible life-force. The light-holistic, intuitive way of working (that Adams describes with puzzlement and slack-jawed admiration). That white-hot passion he brought into his work, life and relationships. The use of unpretentious, simple equipment
(Adams offered him better lenses, but Weston refused them). That he cultivated himself, and dared in life and art. What his wives and lovers wrote him in their letters.. His daybooks, one of the great journals by a Modern photographic artist, surprisingly honest, providing a rich and rare insight into the creative life. How in spite of difficulties, frailties, all things human, and later an incurable disease, he kept going all out with his art. Until the very end. His genius and level of commitment, along with the unfirgettable images, earned him a place in my heart.
--- Luis
