I can’t stand these damn shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!
W. Eugene SmithRead
I would that my photographs might be, not the coverage of a news event, but an indictment of war - the brutal corrupting viciousness of its doing to the minds and bodies of men; and, that my photographs might be a powerful emotional catalyst to the reasoning which would help this vile and criminal stupidity from beginning again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the purpose of photography as a means to expose the harsh realities of war and provoke emotional responses for change.
W. Eugene Smith expresses his desire for his photographs to serve as more than mere documentation of war; he wants them to be a powerful critique of its brutality and to foster a deeper understanding of its impact on humanity. By portraying the physical and psychological toll of war, he aims to evoke emotion and spur reflection, ultimately hoping to prevent the repetition of such atrocities in the future.
Themes
PhotographyWarEmotionalImpactHumanityCatalyst
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the role of art during conflict, one could quote this to emphasize the responsibility of artists.
More from W. Eugene Smith
All quotes →I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Up to and including the moment of exposure, the photographer is working in an undeniably subjective way. By his choice of technical approach, by the selection of the subject matterand by his decision as to the exact cinematic instant of exposure, he is blending the variables of interpretation into an emotional whole.
W. Eugene SmithRead
I try to take what voice I have and I give it to those who don’t have one at all.
W. Eugene SmithRead
The photographer must bear the responsibility for his work and its effect …[for] photographic journalism, because of its tremendous audience reached by publications using it, has more influence on public thinking than any other branch of photography.
W. Eugene SmithRead
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