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(A)

Roosevelt, New Jersey
February 7th, 1955

Editor Sunday Art Section
The New York Times
New York City

Dear Sir:

This is to take some exception to your review entitled "The Camera Versus the Artist" which discusses the magnificent photographic exhibition arranged by Edward Steichen and called "The Family of Man".

One would not ordinarily feel it necessary to express his disagreement with such a discussion. However, in this case, I feel that the assumptions upon which the review is based are so erroneous as to do a very great disservice to both art and photography, and thus I feel impelled to say something about them.

Your reviewer, Aline Saarinen, was greatly affected by the exhibition even though it stands in exultant contradiction to every precious principle which the majority of art writers have laboriously hung about the neck of art across a decade of literary effort.

In order to reconcile the contradiction between the precious principles on the one hand, and on the other, the undeniable impact of Steichen's great assemblage, it became necessary for the reviewer to do some [[strikethrough]] rather [[/strikethrough]] fine scalpel-work upon [[strikethrough]] over [[/strikethrough]] those Siamese Twins- art and photography. The separation accomplished, she presents us with a pair of curious anomalies- photography appears as "folk-art", but "responsible", while art remains art but is warned that if its meaning should become too "easily assimilable", it might fall into the category of folk-art, God forfend! 

During the past week, the Times reproduced a painting by El Greco showing Mary receiving the body of Christ. The meaning is so easily assimilable that not even a single line of art comment is