Eugene? What contribution did Smith make to photography?

Eugene Smith (1918 ~1978) has made great contributions to the development of thematic photography. He greatly promoted the photographic theme of documentary reporting with pictures.

Smith was born in Wichita, Kansas, USA. When he was a teenager, he often took pictures with his mother's camera. 1934, Smith published a photo in a newspaper called Wichita Eagle, which became the beginning of his photography career.

Two years later, Smith's father committed suicide because he was unable to pay his debts. In order to attract readers, the local newspaper played up the unfortunate incident. This irresponsible news report made him determined to defend the authenticity of the photo report.

From 65438 to 0937, Smith became the youngest photojournalist in new york Newsweek. 1939, join the reporter team of Life Magazine.

(1) "village doctor"

Smith published several groups of thematic photographs in Life magazine, among which Country Doctor became a classic of photography topic because of its "classicality" and "turning point". It is also the most representative of Smith's style.

This special topic, published in Life magazine on September 20th, 1948, consists of 28 photos. ErnestCeriani, the protagonist of the project, is the only doctor in a small town called Kremmling in Colorado, USA. In order to treat patients, he often forgets to eat and sleep, showing lofty dedication.

In filming, Smith pays attention to the doctor's inner character and depicts his spiritual world. A complete set of photos, including 6 subtitles. They are:

Have fun at work.

He has to take care of more than 10 subjects.

Critical patients often occupy his rest time.

Step 4 cut off the patient's leg

An old man died at night.

He spends most of his time on patients.

In this group of photography themes, "Visit before the storm" is the most wonderful "point photo" that can reveal the essence of the event. In the picture, the sky is gloomy, which indicates that a storm is coming, but the doctor still carries the medicine box to make house calls to the patients. This photo explains the professional characteristics of the character and the difficult environment in which he lives.

In order to avoid the monotony and dullness of the whole project and express the specific atmosphere and the inner world of the characters, Smith arranged two "key photos" that made people shine-after the operation and when they were exhausted. These two photos profoundly and delicately depict the expression and manner of the doctor when he put into work, which is very infectious. Exhausted was also chosen as the "finale photo" of the whole group.

In addition to the photos of "topic", "key point" and "finale", there are also some "contrast photos" in the special topic to deepen the theme from different angles.

Smith's "Country Doctor" is an important turning point from naivety to maturity of thematic photography and a milestone in the history of photography.

(2) path to god

The Road to Heaven shot by Smith is a poetic work.

This painting was taken in 1946, the first year after the end of World War II. In the photo, two children walk hand in hand along the dark tree-lined path of towards the distant. The dim light in the distance seems to symbolize that mankind will leave the darkness and move towards a bright and happy future.

Smith said in explaining the name of this photo:

Most people think it has religious meaning, but it is actually dedicated to music. There is a tune called path to god in the opera Romeo and Juliet. ...

This is my tribute to music and mankind, because I think it shows hope.

The Road to Heaven has become Smith's most published masterpiece. In the large-scale film screening of "Human Family" hosted by Edward steichen, this work was made into a big screen and placed in a prominent position.

(3) Shooting Minamata

Smith's photographic reports are always permeated with lofty humanitarian spirit.

197 1 year, a strange disease appeared in a fishing village named "Minamata" in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. At first, the patient's limbs atrophied and deformed, then the whole body convulsed and finally died. There is no medical precedent for this disease, so it is called "Minamata disease". The cause of the disease is that a local chemical plant discharged a large amount of sewage containing mercury toxin into the sea. The villagers got Minamata disease after eating the polluted marine fish.

The affected villagers banded together to protest against the chemical plant, but to no avail. In order to expand their influence, they found Smith and asked him to report it, which aroused public concern.

So Smith and his assistant came to this fishing village to eat and live with the villagers and took many photos that revealed the truth. Smith's filming activities caused panic among the owners of chemical plants. He hired a few thugs to besiege and beat Smith, almost blinding him. But Smith didn't stop filming because of this. He continued to work while he was being treated.

After three years of hard work, Smith finally finished filming the film. 1975, he selected 175 photos from his own photos and compiled them into a picture book called Minamata, which was officially published. This picture book has aroused people's concern about industrial pollution and had a great influence. To this end, the Japanese government has specially formulated legal provisions to prevent and control pollution, and the owners of chemical plants have also been punished by law.