OT: Letter from Paul Srand
2007-05-19 by Richard Smallfield
Hi, here is a letter from Paul Strand to Ansel Adams that may resonate with you - although written in 1933 in America, I can sympathise with his feelings as a New Zealander living in the next century. "... Your new venture of a gallery in San Francisco does interest me for I feel whatever you try to do will be in an honest and unarty way. Nevertheless I cannot say yes to an exhibition of my things at the present time. Actally I have little interest in exhibitions because at the basis they ... exploit the artist to entertain the public free of charge. I can never get used to the idea that pictures are free entertainment in the US., elsewhere too, that the people who claim to enjoy a thing never support the individual who makes what gives them pleasure ... But in addition I don't like to let these prints go out of my hands. (They exist for the most part in only one example.) ... to be handled by express or mail carriers - custom inspectors etc. They are not the usual tough gaslight prints and a scratch means ruination ... Perhaps some day I will get to Frisco again and that would be different. All this I hope you understand and not feel me to be merely uncooperative." Richard -- http://smallfield.vze.com http://photos.smallfield.vze.com (Photos web site) http://warkworth.vze.com/ (Warkworth photo essay) http://picasaweb.google.com/rsmallfield/ (Recent work) "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery