Good photographs are often reflections of the soul of their creator. The photographs of Joel Meyerowitz are a blend of softness and serenity - two character traits that not even the wailing sirens that deafen New York's Upper West Side were able to disturb on that spring day. Sitting calmly amidst shelves containing 60 years of pictures, Meyerowitz, now 86 years old, spoke fondly of his images. They are now on show at the Tate in London, the Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York, the Picasso Museum in Malaga and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In 1962, Joel Meyerowitz was working as an artistic director for a small advertising agency that used photography more as a commercial tool than anything else. But this is also where he made the acquaintance of Robert Frank, who had been hired for a one-day session. This encounter triggered something, even if Frank would never, strictly speaking, be his mentor. "He was a real loner. Sometimes when I ran into him he would send me away", Meyerowitz said. Inspired by The Americans, Frank's cult portrayal of a money-driven United States, Meyerowitz hit the streets for the first time. He was 24 and only knew one thing for certain: a good photograph isn't necessarily posed for. "The best way," he said, "is to look at the 'old guys' like Brassai and Atget. The street teaches you to act quickly when you see something. If you don't, you miss it!"
