Tina Modotti: A Fragile Life

by Mildred Constantine

Traces the life and career of the Italian-born actress, model, and photographer, describes her relationship with Edward Weston, and recounts her involvement with social and political issues

Genres: Photography, Biography, Art, Italy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Louise Silk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Mildred Constantine for a long time and while looking for another book of hers, ran into this one. I knew nothing about Tina Modotti but was fascinated to learn her story and see her photographs.

The book is an interesting arrangement of photos, letters, and newspaper accounts. I felt like Constantine did a very credible job of getting to the heart and soul of this little known photographer- proving that there were many women in her era doing unrecognized quality art work.

[Andres Varela · Rating 3 out of 5]

La idea del libro es muy buena, la forma en que condensa la biografía mejor, las fotos escogidas y el formato del libro perfecto, el aporte de la transcripción de las cartas personales de Tina y algunos amigo aun mejor, pero la interpretación que trata de dar de Tina a partir de esas cartas es pésima.
Es muy difícil tratar de interpretar a alguien a partir de unas cartas y mas cuando se tiene idealizada y solo se ve coraje y perfección. Esta mala interpretación daña el libro y lo pone un tanto aburrido.
La vida de Tina sigue siendo algo admirable y, hasta cierto punto, envidiable, pero es mejor que cada cual saque sus conclusiones a partir de lo que nos dejó.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sympathetically written biography with many photos on a figure many people will not be familiar with. Tina had a short but intense life and was part of the political and artistic ferment of the 1920's and 1930's. She know and inspired many painters and photographers including Weston and Rivera.
Well worth reading if you are interested in this historical period particularly in Mexico, Spain, and France.