JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
No doubt HCB was a highly skilled and competent artist, but I can't help but think there's a bit too much over-analysis going on here. He couldn't previsualize the image's DOF in the viewfinder because rangefinders aren't TTL, nor is the framing that exact to account for subtle compositional elements near the frame's edge, regardless of his experience with the camera. So whatever compositional elements involving lines and planes of focus were most likely selected after-the-fact, in the editing of the contact sheet. He probably shot many frames in these kinds of portrait sessions.
I've read many other art critics who over-analyze an artist's work to the point of ignoring the mechanics of how the image-making process actually functions. Often times an artist simply does not have the degree of control over the subject environment that the critic claims for him, but rather relies on repetition and serendipity. It is the skilled artist who can repeatedly conjure those happy accidents time and again.
~Joe
I've read many other art critics who over-analyze an artist's work to the point of ignoring the mechanics of how the image-making process actually functions. Often times an artist simply does not have the degree of control over the subject environment that the critic claims for him, but rather relies on repetition and serendipity. It is the skilled artist who can repeatedly conjure those happy accidents time and again.
~Joe