Saul Leiter Research
Saul Leiter was born in Pittsburgh in 1923. Lester was the son of an internationally renowned Talmudic scholar. Leiter's interest in art began in his late teens, and though he was encouraged to become a Rabbi like his father, he left theology school and moved to New York to pursue painting at age 23. In New York, he befriended the Abstract Expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart, who was experimenting with photography. His friendship with Pousette-Dart and soon after, with W. Eugene Smith, expanded his interest in photography. Leiter's earliest black and white photographs show an extraordinary affinity for the medium. He began to work in colour during the 1950s, compiling an extensive and significant body of work during the medium’s infancy. His distinctively subdued color often has a painterly quality that stood out among the work of his contemporaries. Leiters work is based on reflections as well as limited colours. Although it doesn't sound very creative or eye catching, it shows a lot of creativity from Leiter as his art work is very well known for the techniques that he uses in his work.