Known for its reportage style and early connection to the rebelliousness of Surrealism, the work of Cartier-Bresson has always subverted narrative expectations. A reluctant and ambivalent scion of the bourgeoisie, Cartier-Bresson captured in photographs the plight of the very dispossessed, marginal,

Documentary photography, Domestic, Elegant, Fleeting, Gritty, Visceral

One of the early experimenters with the telephoto lens, Penn perceived photography as a distillation of reality, rather than an elaboration upon it. He achieved deliberately structured compositions by borrowing from the natural northern lighting of traditional European painters. His first cover f

Documentary photography, Dramatic, Elegant, Fashion photography, Social realism, Sophisticated

"Have mercy on me," said Henry Kissinger as he was about to be photographed by Richard Avedon. Avedon was known for his ability to lay bare the souls of his subjects, often photographing them against totally white or otherwise stark backgrounds. At one time, Avedon was the highest paid fashion an

Documentary photography, Dramatic, Elegant, Eroticism , Fashion photography, Gritty, Intimate, Severe, Spare

Diane Arbus is called the "Wizard of Odds" because her photographic subjects have included circus freaks, nudists, mentally retarded adults, eccentrics, homeless people, orgiasts, and outcasts. Her work has been dubbed "grotesque," "hateful," and "in bad taste." Norman Mailer stated the prevailing se

Confessional poetry, Dense, Documentary photography, Expansive, Grotesque, In-your-face, Intimate, Moody, Pathos, Perverse, Sublime