Documentary-Collection

Young, old, in-between are shown going about their ordinary lives, some already paying the price of the prevalent Eastern European anti-Semitism, virtually oblivious to what was coming their way.

You can't look at these pictures and not shudder: certainly no one in these pictures can still be alive, and it's not just because of the passage of time. Most of the people photographed here lived in the smaller villages, segregated in many cases from the Gentiles, wearing clothes that quickly and easily identified them to their destroyers.

Vishniac shot an estimated 16,000 pictures, but managed to get only about 2,000 out when he fled to the United States in 1940. We should be grateful for what he's given us, and mourn all that was lost.

Before going further, let me caution those who are offended by all forms of nudity that this book contains many female nudes. These are all tastefully done, and will not offend those who look with a desire to see the essence of beauty.

Alfred Stieglitz was a seminal figure in 20th century art. One of the foremost photographers in the century, he also helped other photographers define what the aesthetic means in photography. He also was a champion for many of the best known photographers, and seriously boosted their careers. In painting, he was an early advocate of important 20th century artists like Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Keeffe. In addition, he published two influential journals about photography, and exhibited art in his famous gallery in New York. Clearly, though, photography was his first love. "I have all but killed myself for Photography."

This book focuses on his central vision of photography ("search for objective truth and pure form") which increasingly was about "antiphotographs" or images that move beyond simple representation. This concept is examined both in 73 of his best images and through numerous excerpts from his voluminous writings on the subject (over 200 essays).

This book is based on the famous 1983 show of Stieglitz's work, and has been reproduced with amazing care and quality. The images are produced in tritone to give more texture and detail. The paper is of archival quality. Most people's diplomas are not on paper this good or this thick. There is a luxurious feeling to just hold the pages.

The 73 images were selected by Ms. O'Keeffe, Juan Hamilton (her friend and assistant), and curator Sarah Grenough from approximately 1600 images in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Ms. Grenough selected the writings to be used, and wrote the wonderful introduction.

From looking at these remarkable images, I came away with the impression that Stieglitz was at his best (for my taste) when he was doing portraits, abstractions, and cityscapes. Those subjects seemed to allow him to strip away the unessential better than the others he used. My favorite images in the book are:

Sun Rays -- Paula, Berlin, 1889

From the Back-Window -- 291, 1915 Self-Portrait, 1907

Marie Rapp, 1916

Arthur G. Dove, 1911-1912

Charles Demuth, 1915

Hodge Kirnon, 1917

Marcel Duchamp, 1923

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918 (3)

Margaret Treadwell, 1921

Waldo Frank, 1920

Dancing Trees, 1922

Music -- A Sequence of Ten Cloud Photographs, VIII, 1922

Equivalent, 1931

His writings are as rewarding as his photographs. I was particularly interested in his ideas about how humans make progress. "Progress has been accomplished only by reason of the fanatical enthusiasm of the revolutionist . . . ." "Experts . . . are the result of hard work."

After you have finished enjoying this astonishingly revealing volume, I suggest that you think about how you like to express truth and beauty in your life. How can you be more direct and simple in this expression?

Be sure to live a life of "constant experimenting" like Stieglitz did!

These photos capture the awesome beauty and fantastic variety in California's natural landscape through the seasons. The book is divided into sections for the mountains, forests & plains, coast and desert.

Muench has brought new life to many often photographed landmarks with his mastery of light and detail. He has also uncovered many beautiful but less known places; dawn & dusk skies, vibrant flowers, delicate waterfalls & more.

James Lawrence's accompanying text touching on a wide range of topics relating to California's natural history is fascinating and entertaining. I have loved spending hours with this magnificent book.

Reader Caution: The images in this book would exceed an R rating if the book's content were in a motion picture.

Review: Photography and views of the human body have shifted enormously in the last 100 years. This extremely interesting book does a great job of exploring those shifts. It also conjectures forward into the world in which the combination of mastering genetics and body reshaping methods (like plastic surgery) will provide even more choice. The book will be of most interest to those who are not very familiar with the history of photography since the images and essays cover little new ground.

The essay is extremely thorough and interesting in explaining the book's themes which are:

Flesh -- the naked body to appeal to the prurient rather than the artistic

Microcosm -- microscopic images of the body's interior

Gaze -- the public part of the body, especially the face and eyes

Memory -- the aid to the mind's recollection

Icon -- the idealized body

Form -- the artistic nude

Pain -- the suffering body

Politics -- meanings and values are contested

Enquiry -- scientific investigation

Fiction -- images, dreams, and fantasies

Macrocosm -- a single human body in relation to the universe.

My favorite images in the book were mostly old favorites:

Man Ray, 1924, Violin d'Ingres;

Imogen Cunningham, 1932, Nude;

Sasha Stone, 1933, Study of the Human Body;

Leni Riefenstahl, 1936, Jesse Owens;

Edward Weston, 1936, Nude;

Louise Dahl-Wolfe, 1948, Nude in the Desert;

Gerhard Kiesling, 1952, Miners;

Don McCullen, 1969, Albino Boy in a Camp of 900 Dying Children, Biafra;

Nick Ut, 1972, Napalm Bomb Attack, Vietnam;

Lennart Nilsson, 1973, A Human Foetus at Three Months;

Hermut Newton, 1981, Sie kommen (naked and dressed), Paris;

Robert Mapplethorpe, 1982, Lisa Lyon.

I suspect that the book would have worked better if it had narrowed its focus to a single theme. Perhaps such works will follow.

Those who see their favorite photographs in this book will often be a little disappointed that their size and reproduction are a little on the smallish side and below top grade.

After you use these images and essays to capture a better sense of what the body has been all about, perhaps you could take a moment to think about what your body means to you. How can you create a more positive connection with your body? How can you draw more strength from it? How can you enjoy being at one with your body?

Draw upon images of what is . . . to create plans to build what is better for all!

The foreword gives a nice explantion of the how the book tries to capture the essense of the European exhibition, and is followed by a dozen or so pages chronicling the evolution of photographic science and human body photography through the 1900's. Mr. Ewing, who is Director of the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, definitely knows his stuff; this is interesting reading.

The one hundred photos (all b/w except for a handful) are displayed in chronological order, and in much the same way as a museum would: photograph on the right-hand page; title and credit on the left. A major plus is the insightful commentary about the artists and their photographic styles which accompanies each photo credit. In keeping with the gallery presentation, thirteen themes are evidenced in this collection, the most prominent being "Expression," "Form," "Politics," "Fiction," and "Flesh."

"The Century of the Body" portrays many photographic genres: Pictorialism, Modernism, Surrealism, body art, fashion and even endoscopic photography. Noteworthy contributors include Stieglitz, Imogen Cunningham, Man Ray, Weston, Avedon and Mapplethorpe. Every image made me look a long time; none were lewd or offensive. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in photographic style, or simply . . . art.

The emotion range is wider than just scary, however. Each photo is a glipse into a disposible, plastic life. Does the piggy want to play or cause terror? Is the lamb timid, sad or sleepy? More interesting is the effects of mass production on expression - is that red spot on the bunny a flower or a head wound?

Fun, funny and thoughtful. Plus the printing quality is phenominal.