"Few cinematographers have had as decisive an impact on the cinematic medium as John
Alton. Best known for his highly stylized film noir classics T-Men, He Walked by Night,
and The Big Combo, Alton earned a reputation during the 1940s and 1950s as one of
Hollywood's consummate craftsmen through his visual signature of crisp shadows and
sculpted beams of light. No less renowned for his virtuoso color cinematography and deft
appropriation of widescreen and Technicolor, he earned an Academy Award in 1951 for his
work on the musical An American in Paris. First published in 1949, and long out of print
since then, Painting With Light remains one of the few truly canonical statements on the
art of motion picture photography, an unrivalled historical document on the workings of
the postwar, American cinema. In simple, non-technical language, Alton explains the job
of the cinematographer and explores how lighting, camera techniques, and choice of
locations determine the visual mood of film. Todd McCarthy's introduction, written
especially for this edition, provides an overview of Alton's biography and career and
explores the influence of his work on contemporary cinematography."

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