Greece

Seymour first visited Greece in 1948 during the Greek Civil War to photograph children for UNESCO, and he became so enamored of the country that he returned often. A September 1951 trip prompted a fascination with antiquity, as recounted in a letter to his sister:

“My previous trips here…during the war…were rather dramatic experiences. This time it was a classical trip — Delphi, Olympia, and the Aegean Sea islands...enchanting. It was probably a sort of escape from the world we are living now to wander through the ancient Greece ruins and sail around the islands…one gets philosophical looking at the remnants of great civilizations…”

Many of Seymour’s later photographs of Greece seem to reflect the photographer’s playful musings about the nature of the people and the landscape. These images reflect a strong kinship with the work of his friend Cartier-Bresson.

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