Eight Photographers You Need To Know About, According to David Hilliard

Last night, photographer

gave a talk at Watkins as part of the school's Visiting Artists Series. Before he began to speak about his own work — which is theatrical and heavy with the burdens of domestic life, like a Vermeer set in McDonald's — he introduced the work of other artists he admires. Along with filmmakers like Hitchcock, Scorsese, Kubrick and Altman, Hilliard ran through some great names in photography — some familiar, others less so. I've compiled a list of each of the photographers Hilliard mentioned, along with some of their key works. Together, they draw the line between documentary and theater that Hilliard walks so well.

An exhibition of Hilliard's work called Highway of Thought is being shown at Watkins through March 2. (Joe Nolan wrote a pick about it.) Look for more on that exhibit in upcoming Country Life posts.