Journal | A genius, so to speak, for sauntering

Helen Levitt, 1913–2009

Monday · March 30, 2009 | posted under: Musings | 0 comments

ALL men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight.
—Aristotle, Metaphysics

In the forward to her book A Way of Seeing, James Agee simply described her work as lyrical. It is so much more than that, but if forced to pick a single word lyrical is as good as any. Agee then proceeds to channel his inner Aristotle:

THE MIND and the spirit are constantly formed by, and as constantly form, the senses; and misuse or neglect the senses only at grave peril to every possibility of wisdom and well-being. The busiest and most abundant of the senses is that of sight.

Helen Levitt died yesterday. Although well-known to collectors, Ms. Levitt's work has yet to have the audience that her colleague Cartier-Bresson found; she was not a loud promoter of her work and shunned public attention. The work is every bit as good, however, and demonstrates a translucence of technique and a precision that appears effortless—a state to which all art aspires. In a medium that clamors, demands change, and is always trying to usher in the new movement, Helen Levitt's work will quietly endure, delighting us with the abundance of our senses, above all other the sense of sight.