“She introduced him to some very interesting people,” Warren pointed out. “He came to L.A. from Chicago at 20 and saw this place as the Wild West. She also had an inherent sense of design and composition. His early photos were pretty ordinary, though they were popular with the local camera club crowd. She taught him to compose an image and refine it down to its essence. She taught him how to see. Prior to meeting Margrethe, Weston never thought of himself as an artist.”
What was Mather's take from their relationship? “He taught her discipline; she was pretty flighty when they met. She learned a lot from his work ethic in his studio. He also pushed her to send her work out to competitions. They complemented each other.”
Tina Modotti, a sad-eyed Sicilian beauty, was injected into this personal and professional dynamic. “She immediately became his model,” Warren points out, “and she was a beautiful one. He was infatuated with her; he was most attracted to her, of all the women in his life. They went to Mexico together and that's where her serious photography began.”
