New Works by Photography's Old Masters

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/arts/design/30capa.html


This article, “New Works by Photography’s Old Masters,” written by Randy Kennedy, is a really interesting piece written about the recently discovered negatives from famous photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour. The pictures are from the Spanish Civil War and until their recent discovery the negatives were thought to have been lost somewhere in Mexico City .
I really liked this article because it included both a slideshow of the pictures found and also relevant and interesting information regarding the discovery. I think it could have been easy to just write a boring article and let the pictures be the focal point, but Kennedy was able to make the writing just as attention-grabbing as the photos. The writing added to the depth of the topic, the journalist informs the readers of not only how the pictures were discovered but how they had to be handled (“…one of the first things a conservator did was bend down and sniff the film coiled inside, fearful of a telltale acrid odor, a sign of nitrate decay.”), how they made their way to the International Center of Photography, how and when they’ll be displayed and just how incredible it is that these pictures were found.
As the article states, “…a number of previously unknown shots by Capa, one of the founders of the Magnum photo agency and a pioneering war photographer, and by Taro, his professional partner and companion, who died in 1937 when she was struck by a tank near the front, west of Madrid. But more surprising has been the wealth of new work by Seymour …” I think it’s really incredible that these negatives were found and how they were in such good condition for being neglected for years on end. This article offered a lot of insight into the lives and importance of the photographers mentioned and how these new images of theirs will add to their legacy.