Paul Strand's Imprint on Photography

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Paul Strand created an influential body of work that has had an impact on masters as diverse as Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Walker Evans.

As a young photographer, Strand mastered the ethereal landscapes and gauzy portraiture of Pictorialism, the self-consciously artistic photo style of New York salons at the turn of the century. By 1916, though, when he was in his 20s, Strand had grown restless with Pictorialist sentimentality and was searching for new expression with the camera.

Strand removed the downy atmospherics from his pictures, and, influenced by Cezanne and Picasso, introduced the flat design and vigorous energy of Cubism into photography. By the time …