As I have been accommodating myself to the art books and getting familiar with the particular collections we have, the photography section has been a learning experience. My knowledge being somewhat limited in the area, I have gone through most of them trying to gain a personal grasp on the subject. I have found it to be such a great medium for a book, as paper is a photograph’s original medium…usually. Because of this you can observe the pieces at a closer proximity in a book than with a collections of photographs of sculptures or paintings. The only modifications being in scale and presentation. This is a great draw for me in the bookstore, while the other books get me excited and make me want to go to the Louvre and see all of the wonderful works in person (which is pretty cool), the photograph collections allow me to be more content in observing the pieces on the couch. My investigations have produced several favorites. In no particular order:
Put out by a father son collaboration from two giants in photography. This is a magnificent collection of probably the sexiest pictures of a desert that you could ever witness. It is incredible how they read the landscape for those natural curves. Capturing the essence of a sensual line in a pile of sand is no small feat. It takes an understanding of form and structure of the human body as well as landscapes and how we as humans perceive these forms. Through their eyes we see an arid desert as living flesh. Incredible.
This next one is by Bruce Davidson in the vein of photojournalism; he gives a view into the heart of the circus in the middle of the last century. The first half follows a dwarf in his work at the carnival in 1958. They are powerful photos that make you feel as though you are looking into the man’s soul as he goes about his days in this foreign world. The second half is a return to the circus in 1965 and his following of the Ringling Brothers and the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and the James Duffy and Sons circus of 1967. It is a strong eye through which we can see these acrobats and human cannonballs.
This last one I remember putting on the shelf after we received it. Immediately I was struck by the cover and the incredible formal construction of the photograph. I proceeded to flip through every page with my jaw on the floor. Nick Brandt went to Africa with his camera and commenced with a photo shoot of wild beasts as his models; and they perform in front of the camera as if they were highly trained supermodels, veterans of Vogue and Vanity Fair. Every photograph seems to be a career-maker. They are Beautiful.
-John P.
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