Review by Booklist Review
Steichen's tremendous contributions to modern art have been given short shrift, an omission corrected with passion by Johnston in her original study of his commercial photography, and Niven, who has written the first comprehensive biography of this multitalented and controversial artist, photographer, and arts advocate. Niven's curiosity about Steichen was piqued while she was working on her biography of Carl Sandburg, his brother-in-law and close friend, and she writes about Steichen with great warmth and insight. A painter first, Steichen brought a fine aesthetic sensibility as well as great technical proficiency to the practice of photography, qualities Alfred Stieglitz recognized immediately when they met in 1900. The two visionaries united in the crusade to elevate photography to the level of fine art, but Steichen, forced by economic necessity and an innate pragmatism, soon veered away from pure artistic expression, ultimately transforming himself into the world's most renowned portrait photographer. As Niven skillfully tracks every step of Steichen's ardent journey from his first basement darkroom in Milwaukee to the New York offices of Vogue and the Museum of Modern Art, where he curated "The Family of Man," the world's most famous photography exhibition, she wisely avoids overanalysis and allows the facts of Steichen's dramatic and gloriously productive life to speak for themselves. Steichen's brilliant and unapologetic commercial career outraged critics and artists alike, including his friend Stieglitz, but the truth is, Steichen's portraits of celebrities and fashion and advertising spreads were inspired: beautifully composed and resoundingly influential. Art historian Johnston assesses the full scope and significance of Steichen's commercial work and its extraordinary impact on advertising, photography, graphics, and fashion in unprecedented detail, discussing not only issues of style and technique but the implications of the messages inherent in his images, most of which were aimed at women. This is an ideal companion to Niven's biography. --Donna Seaman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
