Exhibition
New York: David Seymour & Roman Vishniac
Selma was sent to the store for a pot of soup and a bottle of milk, Lodz, 1938 Gelatin silver print; printed later 10 X 8 inches © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
After all, he did promise to return, did he not?, 1927 Gelatin silver print; printed later 11 x 14 inches Signed and titled in ink on print recto. Numeric annotations in pencil on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Children playing on the first day of school, Pilis, Poland, 1948 Gelatin silver print 8 3/4 X 13 inches "CHIM The Estate of David Seymour" blindstamp on print recto. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Prostitute near the Krupp works, Essen, 1947 Gelatin silver print; printed later 10 5/8 X 10 1/2 inches David Seymour/Magnum Photos credit stamp, Magnum Photo Library stamp, Magnum Portfolio Print stamp, and annotations in pencil on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Soldier, Ernst Thaelmann brigade, Republic of Spain, 1936 Gelatin silver print; printed c.1936 10 1/2 X 7 1/4 inches David Seymour/Magnum Photos credit stamp, Magnum label and annotations on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
French Gas Drill, c.1950 Gelatin silver print; printed c.1950 9 1/2 X 7 inches Photographer's/Black Star credit stamp, Magnum Photos address stamp, "Made in France" stamp, title in colored pencil, and annotations in ink on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
These girls were sent out to play, but they preferred to watch Mother at work inside, Slovakia, 1935 Gelatin silver print; printed later 11 x 14 inches Numeric annotations in pencil on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Dancing in the streets, Paris, 1953 Gelatin silver print; printed c.1953 11 3/4 X 8 inches Titled and dated in ink, and two David Seymour/Magnum Photos stamps on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Tereska is cared for at a Polish center for disturbed children, Poland, c.1948 Gelatin silver print; printed later 7 3/4 X 9 3/8 inches Titled in pencil with Magnum stamp on print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Children of the World, c.1950 Gelatin silver print; printed c.1950 12 1/2 X 11 inches Titled in ink, annotations in pencil, David Seymour/ Magnum Photos stamp, Magnum permission stamp and credit label affixed to print verso. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
Selma was sent to the store for a pot of soup and a bottle of milk, Lodz, 1938 Gelatin silver print; printed later 10 X 8 inches © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos
On the occasion of the immense David Chim Seymour and Roman Vishniac exhibition at the International Center for Photography (see our previous coverage here and here), the Howard Greenberg Gallery is presenting a selection of their work. The show features Chim's famous images of children affected by war,; the task will theirs to rebuild their country one day. The omnipresence of children is more a statement of politics than of empathy or humanism. The children play, but they also suffer. They illustrate the range of emotions unexpressed by the adults. The politics of these photographs are subtle, far from the head-on approach Chim employed during the Spanish Civil War. Perhaps their power lies in their ability to depict two different times within a single image: the cruel present, and the uncertain future. A single haunting photo embodies this complexity: a small girl, chalk in hand, stands before a drawing of her house. But it's hardly visible; she's crossed it out with an explosion of lines.
Laurence Cornet
David "Chim" Seymour & Roman Vishniac: Affirmation
Februray 1st - 23rd, 2013
Howard Greenberg - Gallery Two
41 East 57th Street - Suite 1406
NY 10022 - New York
USA
Links
http://www.howardgreenberg.com
Contributors
Laurence Cornet