Weegee

by Weegee, Allene Talmey (Introduction)

"Weegee the Famous," as he liked to be called, was a major influence in the field of newspaper photography. Persistent and aggressive behind the camera, he always made sure that he was at the forefront of breaking news. As a photographer he went to the heart of ugly situations to illustrate the often gruesome realities of life in the city.
Weegee's images scream at their audience. An assault to the eyes was created through his use of the flash's severe light; the harsh contrasts and deep shadows that resulted gave his images an extra jolt. Concerned more with the impact of his images than with the artistry, Weegee favored a tone of sarcasm and irony with a touch of compassion in his work. This volume in the Masters of Photography series includes forty-one of Weegee's most powerful photographs that have an unsettling beauty, as well as the permanent power of unique images that, once seen, are never erased. The Aperture Masters of Photography series is devoted to those individuals whose achievements have accorded them vital importance in the history of the art form. Each volume presents a selection of the artist's greatest images. Published in Aperture's standard of excellence, the Masters of Photography series provides a comprehensive library of the artists who have shaped the medium.

Genres: Photography, Art, Art and Photography, Nonfiction

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Weegee was the pseudonym of Ascher (later anglicized to Usher) Fellig, who emigrated to the United States when he was ten and was renamed Arthur. He was an American photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography.

Reviews

[Yvonne]

The introduction states Weegee is most concerned about the impact of his photographs, not the artistic aspect, selling his pictures for $ 5,00 only to be thrown away after (the newspapers') use. Fascinating pictures.

Was my copy an apparent misprint, with the wrong titles of the pictures listed in the last pages of the book? Perhaps it would have been better to add the title/story on the (opposite) page of the photograph. More reader-friendly and any mistake would have been clear right away. Murders and parties mixed up this way create a rather uncanny read.

[Kandise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice look at the work, though the biography is fairly brief. I would have preferred the image captions and other information to appear adjacent to the images rather than listed at the end.