“I like the idea that simple and unimportant things can be a source of great beauty.” – Saul Leiter

Seventy frames hang evenly-spaced on the walls of the Milwaukee Art Museum. All lined in perfect rows, these frames house unique color photographs made between 1946 and 1960 in New York City.

Saul Leiter, the mastermind behind the camera, was ahead of his time when it came to innovations in photography. His direct use of color photography put him in a unique genre all his own at a time when the primary medium was black and white.

Revolutionary are the images he so naturally captured when he introduced his own form of street photography.

It’s clear when looking at the photos that Leiter was a photographer focused on perception and how the eye views the world in its natural state. Gentle tones and distinct lines of contour are how Leiter chose not only to depict the street scene, but also the weather, architecture and overall interaction of people.

“Complexity” is the word that first comes to mind upon walking into the gallery and “elegance” is the second. Leiter incorporates both into his work so smoothly that the final product is truly a masterpiece.

This is true when looking at “Times Square Mosaic.” At first glance, the eye focuses on a couple holding hands and walking down Times Square. Their bodies seem to be beautifully put together by pieces of glass tile, muted and subtle. If one takes a closer look, the bodies of the couple are gently muffled due to Leiter taking their picture from behind a foggy window. The mosaic of the bodies is from a reflection of a colored tile work inside where Leiter was sitting.

The beauty of this piece is that nothing is concealed. Leiter does not intend to trick his audience. He does intend, however, to expose them to a pure science through which he views the world.

Going through each photo, one can get a sense that Leiter uses a sort of voyeuristic ingredient to creating his work. He captures the woman who is walking away from a shoe store on Fifth Avenue in ‘”Shopping,” while she is none the wiser that he is there. Or, in “Taxi,” Leiter captures the profile of the driver and the steady hand of the passenger in the backseat while watching from a cab on the opposite side of the street. Some could also argue that these breakthrough photographs are a foreshadowing of the modern day paparazzi. However, these allegations are not deep enough to get at what Leiter truly wanted to convey.

His work focuses on purely delicate observance to detail. The human in the picture is not as much of the subject as the elements of the city are. The woman who is shoe shopping is not as important as the many shoes that are in the foreground and background of the picture. The reflection of the windows is what Leiter focuses on and how the rain pouring down them makes the picture entirely distinctive.

The men in the taxi are not as important as the angle at which Leiter shoots them. The bright canary yellow and cherry red colors of the taxi and what one views outside of the obvious is how Leiter truly made a name for himself in the modernization of photography.

From beginning to end, Leiter uses his intense and dedicated eye for the unordinary to capture and fascinate his audience. Taking everyday life out of context and giving it new meaning and solidarity in its most simplistic form is what Leiter has made into a radical art form.

“In Living Color” by Saul Leiter will be showcased on the second floor of the Milwaukee Art Museum until Jan. 7.

> Comments