Are there two kinds of artists, the ones obsessed with beauty (art for art's sake) and the truth-tellers, who grab you to explain, who have a point to make?
Saul Leiter was clearly the former: "Saul had a love of beauty," wrote his former assistant Tony Cenicola, now a NYT photographer. "He didn’t like art that was harsh. He had a way of seeing beauty in everything."
What about ambition? “In order to build a career and be successful,” Leiter said, “one has to be ambitious. I much prefer to drink coffee, listen to music and paint when I feel like it.”
Are most artists both at various times? Does this photo (or any photo, painting or poem) need to be anything but beautiful?
Saul Leiter was clearly the former: "Saul had a love of beauty," wrote his former assistant Tony Cenicola, now a NYT photographer. "He didn’t like art that was harsh. He had a way of seeing beauty in everything."
What about ambition? “In order to build a career and be successful,” Leiter said, “one has to be ambitious. I much prefer to drink coffee, listen to music and paint when I feel like it.”
Are most artists both at various times? Does this photo (or any photo, painting or poem) need to be anything but beautiful?