Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe were great partners in love and art, and now Edward Weston and Charis Wilson have been brought to my attention thanks to this hour-long documentary. The makers have combined the original photos with filmed reenactments of Edward and Charis at work using actors; there is also newsreel footage of soup kitchens and other facts of the Depression. We have color footage of the 91-year old Charis reminiscing about her years with Weston--about ten in all. Altogether it is a fascinating reconstruction of one of the great collaborations in twentieth-century photography.
The photos seem to breathe, they are so vivid. The flesh of her body contrasted with the grey sand in those photos of 1936 has a tremendous erotic power. Thank God for Guggenheim grants.
The photos seem to breathe, they are so vivid. The flesh of her body contrasted with the grey sand in those photos of 1936 has a tremendous erotic power. Thank God for Guggenheim grants.