This is a shared characteristic also commonly found in Japanese ukiyo-e (translates into ‘Pictures of the Floating World’) prints, which has a strong emphasis on depicting the here-and-now, the banal fragments of being human. He was about capturing fleeting, ephemeral sightings in everyday life. Saul, however, remained largely apolitical, as far as his photographs were concerned. Many of them had a clear intention to document for social causes and used photography as a medium to raise awareness, or advance their views on certain public affairs. His approach to photography was therefore markedly different from that of his peers who photographed in the same post-war period in America. The philosophy and intentions behind the work of Saul Leiter had a strong resonance with principles of Zen Buddhism, which celebrates the living in the moment yet without attachment to earthly pleasures. Saul Leiter’s Approach to Street Photography As described by Pauline Vermare, the curator of the exhibition “Photographer Saul Leiter: A Retrospective“, there were etchings of paintings by Koryusai hung on his wall among the heaps of collected items were Japanese calligraphy papers, vinyl records of Japanese musicals, and a massive library of books dedicated to Japanese literature, poetry, ceramics, ukiyo-e and Zen.
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