Essay by Robert Rauschenberg. one of the most important and influential artists working with photography during the twentieth century, Siskind is being celebrated on the occasion of his 100th birthday. His prolific career spanned six decades and marked a shift in the way photography was used as an art form. With an altogether more expressionist approach, Siskind's photography mirrored the abstract work of painters and sculptors in the '40s. Not only a critical figure in modern photography, Siskind was a great influence to many artists of his time.