cover image Artful Lives: Edward Weston, Margrethe Mather, and the Bohemians of Los Angeles

Artful Lives: Edward Weston, Margrethe Mather, and the Bohemians of Los Angeles

Beth Gates Warren. Getty, $39.95 (392p) ISBN 978-1-60606-070-4

“Many historians of photography would take their cue from [Weston] and ignore his Southern California period altogether, discussing his career as though he had risen miraculously from the volcanic ash of Mexico.” Warren’s elegant book makes a restitution, depicting Weston’s early career in the 1910s as marked by hard work in his small studio, neglected family obligations, and a series of extramarital affairs. It was also inspired by a circle of creative radicals who came to define Los Angeles aesthetics and politics: anarchist Emma Goldman, actor Rudolf Valentino, comedian Charlie Chaplin, dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, and actress Tina Modotti, to name a few. Of these, the most important was the enigmatic figure of Margrethe Mather, Weston’s lover and collaborator. As both a photographer and bohemian, she was more daring and innovative than he, “but she lacked Weston’s self-discipline and his drive to succeed in the larger world.” Warren’s cast is numerous and diverse, full of minor but notable characters who come in and out of Weston and Mather’s social circle. While recording their contributions in the Los Angeles historical record is laudable, the lack of focus distracts from the Weston-Mather relationship. Final chapters make for the best reading by honing in on the suggestion that Weston’s singular success came in part at the expense of the woman who was so influential in his early career. (Nov.)