© 1949 Stanley Kubrick/LIFE

Take a closer look at those pair of eyes. He sees beyond his, or the subject’s points of view, somehow managed to raise the viewing field to that of the spectator’s and infuse a little touch of his magic. He was a complex soul fighting his freedom off it, encapsulating the complex nature of human tendencies into a frames after frames of golden moments.

From the curators:

Images in this collection show the drama—both human and artistic—that infuse Kubrick’s work. Included are: the photograph used on the cover of the Kubrick book, Drama & Shadows, of a young woman making her way down a steep set of stairs while carrying a pile of books precariously tilting books; showgirl Rosemary Williams intently applying makeup as the equally intent young Kubrick photographs her. His subjects are as varied as the city he worked in: he catches Broadway actress Betsy Von Furstenberg studying her lines; prizefighter Walter Cartier in the corner between rounds; Dwight Eisenhower, also between rounds—after World War II, before he became President of the United States—when he was Columbia University’s president, and performers from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Also by Kubrick: Chicago, 1949. (via DF)