Pioneer of street photography Saul Leiter (1923-2013) captured city life in mid-20th century New York City with an inimitable sense of composition, humour and grace, fusing aspects of fashion, documentary and architectural photography alongside portraiture and still life. A resident of New York for 60 years, the photographer applied this unique perspective both to the city’s inhabitants and to its inanimate subjects, investing as much personality in his depiction of a rain-splashed taxi cab or an obscured view through a window. Blurred movement, reduced depth of field and a painterly manipulation of natural light, shadow, shape and texture reproduce the sensation of navigating a busy metropolis. These attributes came to form Leiter’s vernacular of the city.
Pioneer of street photography Saul Leiter (1923-2013) captured city life in mid-20th century New York City with an inimitable sense of composition, humour and grace, fusing aspects of fashion, documentary and architectural photography alongside portraiture and still life. A resident of New York for 60 years, the photographer applied this unique perspective both to the city’s inhabitants and to its inanimate subjects, investing as much personality in his depiction of a rain-splashed taxi cab or an obscured view through a window. Blurred movement, reduced depth of field and a painterly manipulation of natural light, shadow, shape and texture reproduce the sensation of navigating a busy metropolis. These attributes came to form Leiter’s vernacular of the city.
