personality contest

.

of course ultimately, I think that the ideal critic should not, in any way, be prejudiced-either favorably or unfavorably-by personal idiosyncrasies of the man whose work he judges. This is a condition which I think should be aspired to-and I have long tried to make it apply to my own judgments, and I know that in some cases, at least, I like the work of certain artists whom I did not like as persons. It is too bad-and in some cases unjust-that people will allow habits of the artist which seem personally unpleasant to them-to imbalance their judgments about the work-because in the end, the artist, and his work, are two entirely distinct things.
(Clarence John Laughlin, photographer to Minor White, photographer, editor of Aperture)

farewell to the past
Clarence John Laughlin
1946