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Editor, Sunday Art Section
The New York Times
New York City

Dear Sir:

This is to take some exception to Aline Saarinen's review of Edward Steichen's [[strikethrough]] tremendous [[/strikethrough]] magnificent photographic show called "The Family of Man", which review Mrs. Saarinen entitles "The Camera Versus the Artist". 

Our reviewer was greatly moved by the exhibition and yet it stands in [[strikethrough]] great [[/strikethrough]] exultant defiance of every precious principle which not only she, but also the great majority of other art writers have laboriously hung about the neck of art across a decade of intensive [[strikethrough]] liet [[/strikethrough]]  literary effort. 

In order to [[strikethrough]] rationalize [[/strikethrough]] reconcile the contradiction between, on the one hand, the precious principles, and on the other, [[strikethrough]] Steichen's [[/strikethrough]] the undeniable impact of Steichen's great assemblage, [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] it  became necessary for the reviewer to do some [[strikethrough]] rather fairly [[/strikethrough]] rather fine [[strikethrough]] delicate work with the literary [[/strikethrough]] scalpel work upon these Siamese twins [[strikethrough]] of [[/strikethrough]] art and photography [[strikethrough]] ; After [[/strikethrough]]   The separation [[strikethrough]] was [[/strikethrough]] accomplished, we are presented with photography as "folk-art", but "responsible", whereas art remains art but is warned, by God, to remain irresponsible.

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At the end of her review, however, the writer is struck with a resurgence of principle-less feeling and impulsively reminds the artist that "communication of emotion is at the basis of any art." Thus, in spite of her most ernest efforts Mrs. Saarinen ultimately saddles the artist with two responsibilities, the one, to communicate emotion, the other the contradictory one of disavowing responsibility.

However greatly one, an artist, may be annoyed by various critical opinions, he [[strikethrough]] is [[/strikethrough]] does not usually take the trouble to challenge them. In this case, however, I feel the disservice to both art and photography to be so great that I wish to point out [[strikethrough]] some basic [[/strikethrough]] the wrong assumptions involved.

First, the artist, [[strikethrough]] Mrs. Saarinen, [[/strikethrough]] is not less than a man. [[strikethrough]] and as such he [[strikethrough]] shares the [[/strikethrough]] is [[?]] a [[/strikethrough]]  As a man [[strikethrough]] he too [[/strikethrough]] has the common civilized sense of responsibility. We hope that in many cases he may indeed be