Great black and white photographers - PART 2

Tina Modotti was born on August 17, 1896 in Udine, Italy. By the time she was 16, Tina moved to San Francisco, California where she took on her acting career. She was casted in silent movies, plays, and operas. In Hollywood she met Edward Weston  and his assistant Margarethe Matter who introduced her to her love for photography. They began a portrait business in Mexico where Tina met several important people in the political world. She took photos of flowers, urban landscapes, architecture and one of her most influenced, peasants and workers. Some of her photos were used in the book Idols Behind Altars by Anita Brenner. By 1927, Tina became apart of the Communist party. In 1929, she was accused for the murder of Julio Antonia Mella then later questioned for the attempt assassination of Mexico's President, Pascual Rubio Ortiz. In 1930, Tina was exiled from Mexico by the government as a result of the anti-communist campaign. She then went back to Europe where she was no longer a photographer. Tina died of heart failure at the age of 45 on January 5, 1942 in Mexico City, Mexico. It was said that her death was planned by Vittorio Vidali because she had known about some of his suspicious activities. All though Tina hadn't written any books of her own, several were written about her including A Fragile Life by Mildred Constantine.

These are two of Tina Modotti's photos.