W. Eugene Smith's photographs reflect his boyhood in the American heartland and his coming of age in the agony of World War II. His work, imbued with moral fervor, evinces a clear difference between good and evil, the individual's ability to transcend his or her circumstances, the inherent goodness (even heroism) in people, the capacity and willingness of one person to help others (such as the healers in country doctor, nurse-midwife and Albert Schweitzer). In the photo essays which he did after World War II, he demonstrated a belief in the human spirit and the ability of humanity to rise above the immense destruction it had sown. Like the country which he came from and the magazine, LIFE, which hired him, Smith's work was refreshingly direct, sometimes sentimental and often optimistic.Link path from this photograph, part of a photo-essay on Minamata disease that Smith made in the early 70's.
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Smith at International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum
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Smith at PhotoSeminars.com
