Jazz and Photography

In case you are thoroughly depressed by the past three book subjects I have featured…a murderer…a mass murderer/drug kingpin…a war…I will throw you one subject which will be lighter on your conscience.

The neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks has been doing the rounds on public radio for his new book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Sacks has one of the most beautiful voices and diction (like a sane and elder Werner Herzog) and his discussions of the effects of being a musician on the development of the brain are fascinating. Consider the following, the brain of Einstein according to Sacks did not vary greatly from other ‘normal’ brains in appearance, but the brains of musicians, even after just one year of intensive study, actually develop in ways to make them look differently physically.

This made me think about how music has been described through photography. Immediately I have thoughts of images of jazz because, besides rock and roll, it seems that this is the genre of music most commonly described in great photos. For instance, how many great photographs have been made of classical musicians? Several for sure, but they do not jump to mind as quickly as the wealth of examples that can be referred to in jazz. Ed Van der Elsken, Larry Fink, Lee Friedlander, William Gottlieb, William Claxton and others.

Listening to Oliver Sacks and thinking about how people are drawn to certain types or genres of music, could it be possible that jazz inspired photographers in their own creative process and that this inspiration is the reason for such a wealth of images?

Many people have compared the spontaneous improvisation of creating photographs based on one’s intuition as similar to jazz improvisation. In both cases the knowledge of the instrument or machine is necessary but ultimately transcended by an unexplainable moment in the process of creation that relies on taking risks and embracing possible failure as a guide. When the unexplainable works, we are treated to something that can defy logic and steer us into uncharted waters and, I believe, possibly make part of our brains grow. (That may be a discussion for when the weed is in the bowl and the cocoa puffs are a-plenty)

There have been several books dedicated to jazz, some better than others, here are a few off the beaten path that may be worthy of note.

When we think of the subject of jazz in photography what mostly comes to mind is work from the 30‘s through the 60‘s. Francis Wolff, who was one of the founders of Blue Note records, documented with his Rolliflex the entire cast of characters that flowed through the studio during recordings. The ‘studio’ from 1953 to 1959 was actually a modified living room of Rudy Van Gelder’s parents’ home in Hackensack, New Jersey. Many of Wolff’s images were transformed by Reid Miles into some of the greatest album covers ever designed in any musical genre.

There have been several books that feature Wolff’s vast archive, the best of which is The Blue Note Years The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff published by Rizzoli in 1995. Unfortunately most of the books on Wolff are not very inspiring and treat the photography as a by-product in relation to the celebrity of the musician in the photograph. This trait shows itself through book design that greatly crop and alter the originals, placing most of the importance on the subject. Even Reid Miles’ designs for the album covers did the same. Whether Wolff’s intention was to make pictures that shouldn’t be cropped or not, is another matter as most wound up being chopped. When given the chance to be seen full frame, many are great works worthy of recognition.

I have had the rare pleasure of printing many of the images in the Wolff archive full frame and what is interesting about Wolff as a photographer, beyond who passed in front of his lens, was the way he juggled the fodder of stands and recording gear of the studio. Like seeing theater actors among the stage rigging, it is the ordinariness of the surroundings that appear odd in relation to what was being put on tape. It all seems surprisingly low-tech when in the background of an image of Miles Davis smoking a joint you see the old television in a Hackensack living room.

The book is not great from a design stand point but it is surprisingly richly printed albeit slightly hard in contrast. The design is fueled by the celebrity and little attention is paid to individual photographs. Regardless, if you want a glimpse into those great recordings and see what the scene looked like, this book covers the landmarks of jazz in the 50’s and 60’s.

William Claxton is another name that is easily recognizable when the discussion of jazz photography in its heyday is discussed. Jazz Life published by Taschen in 2005 is a lap crushing 20 lbs. A part of Taschen’s ‘book as coffee table’ series, this is a tome of hundreds of Claxton’s photographs made in 1960 across America capturing the face of jazz.

Similar in tone to Lee Friedlander (who was Claxton’s best man at his wedding in 1959) but more prone to using a whole battery of different focal length lenses, Claxton describes both the obvious subject as well as what was happening on the sidelines. And like Friedlander, that is where the most interesting photos derive.

The book is obnoxiously huge at 700 pages and with hundreds of illustrations. If the ‘all or nothing’ approach had been avoided, a really nice collection could have been the result. This is a book that, even though it contains so many great photographs, might never get actually dragged off your sagging book shelf because of its size.

The last book chalks one up for the home team of Eye Studio here in NYC.

Jimmy Katz has been photographing jazz musicians for over 20 years and a collection of 175 of his photographs can be found in the new book Jazz In NY just published by Jazzprezzo.

Shooting in black and white, Jimmy Katz is carrying on the tradition of documenting not only a music he loves but its contemporary face. He has been able to gain access into intimate recording sessions that in this day and age have become more difficult for photographers to access. The importance of Jimmy’s photographs is that they bring an image of jazz that isn’t lock up with a romance of the past. These show musicians in love with their craft in both candid moments and formal portraits. The range of personalities is wide, from the known to the more obscure; but all get to play equal roles when framed by Katz. It seems that any jazz musician working today has at one point passed in front of Katz’s prolific lens.

For me, I like Jimmy’s photos the most when he is a fly on the wall and the musicians are immersed in the process of creation. In those moments, Katz has more time to be playful with his frames and capture fleeting gesture and expression that escape some of the staged portraits. These musicians, when engaged in playing, relay the ‘look’ of the process of creation. As viewers we seek out in the slightest gesture or expression to understand what may be transpiring in the artist at that moment. The revelations, even if photography could reveal them which it cannot, would probably be as mysterious as to why some photographs work and others do not.

The book is large and nicely put together. It has a surprising heft that is telling of the fine quality of paper and materials. The reproductions are rich and suit the atmospheric lighting that Katz uses. Where most books published on this subject are riddled with cheapness and concern for quick ‘marketability,’ this book avoids those pitfalls by maintaining high production standards.

If I had to throw one minor criticism at this book it would be with the title. The title is written as Jazz in NY by Jimmy Katz with the words Jazz and Katz highlighted in bold gold lettering. Hence Jazz Katz is actually how the title is read. Cute, and I guess unavoidable because of Jimmy’s last name but I would have tried to go a different route. Seems like too much of a dated reference for such a contemporary book but then again the quote from the great drummer Arthur Taylor on the back cover says ‘Jimmy is THE cat!’ So, who am I to argue with Arthur Taylor?

Jazz in NY by Jimmy Katz was first released in Europe in an edition of 2000 and is just now being made available in the US.

Book Available Here (Francis Wolff Blue Note Years)

Book Available Here (Jazz Life)

Book Available Here (Jazz in NY by Jimmy Katz)

Revistas Y Guerra 1936 - 1939

For those of you who are lucky enough to be in the New York area, there is a great show at the International Center of Photography on Gerda Taro.

Taro was one of the better (some say the best) photojournalists who photographed the Spanish Civil War. She traveled with Robert Capa to photograph the war but it seems her political sympathies could be as strong as her drive to photograph. It certainly shows in her photographs. She often chooses vantage points that stress almost Leni Reifenstahl-ish images of heroism.

She and Robert Capa were a couple although she refused his proposal for marriage. She was killed on July 27th 1937, the very day she was supposed to have returned to Paris, after a tank collided with her car during the retreat from the Battle of Brunete. This unfortunate event made her most likely the first female war photographer to be killed in action.

In the short life she had as a photographer, one might wonder whether she would have taken some of the wind from Capa’s sails as to who would have gone on to become the world’s great war photographer. She and Capa were planning on traveling together to photograph the conflict between China and Japan.

One of the rooms in the Taro exhibition is of posters and magazines that were printed during the Spanish Civil War. The posters, known as “shouts from the wall,” played a strong part in the defining the image of that war and are considered great examples of the propagandistic documents of their time. Using photomontage techniques, they both excite and alarm through their imagery, design, typography and use of color.

While at the exhibition a friend of mine discovered a book called Revistas y Guerra 1936-39 which is an exhibition catalog from a show that was on view at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sophia in Madrid. Magazines (revistas) played a strong part in disseminating information and images during the Spanish Civil War and hundreds were published in that time. The Spanish Civil War may have been the photographic equivalent of what the Vietnam War was to television, at least for the amount of images made and for their rapid distribution to the public.

The objective of most of the wartime magazines was to reach the greatest number of people to relay the propagandistic message in the content. Many were targeted to a particular group and not only served to untie that group but to act as rallying cries aimed at the opposition and to define political ideals.

A few of the magazines were published directly from the front lines of battle. The periodical Avace was actually produced via mobile presses which were hybrids of trucks and printing presses built to work ‘en campana.’

What seems surprising is the number of and variety of publications that were produced during a war where paper, ink and access to printing presses were difficult to obtain. This exhibition concentrated on magazines but there were many other newspapers and bulletins that blur the distinction as to what constitutes a magazine.

The book Revistas Y Guerre 1936-39mis small in trim size but has almost 400 pages of content. It reproduces all examples in full color and it features hundreds of illustrations. It is an import from Spain so the price seems a bit expensive at $85.00. Especially if just basing on the size and the fact that it is soft cover, but the content is rich and the package is very handsome.

The essay is in Spanish throughout the body of the book and there an English translation in the back. The only draw for English speakers is that the illustrations are disconnected from the translation so there is much back and forth page turning required to follow along. Otherwise brush up on your Spanish.

One note, I am usually very careful in handling my books but I have noticed a few of this one’s signatures pulling out of the glue on my copy. So beware, I do not think that this is the best bound book out there. Regardless, this is a great one for poster and magazine design of the Spanish Civil War period so get it and let it fall apart. Better yet, destroy it and allow it to show that it is loved and not neglected.

www.icp.org

The Memory of Pablo Escobar by James Mollison

Since I just wrote briefly about Danny Lyon’s foray into written history, I need to mention a new book that I just purchased yesterday that makes for a nice follow up. The Memory of Pablo Escobar by James Mollison published by Chris Boot is a must read. I just finished it…after a five hour reading marathon in which I could not put down this 350 page book.

Mollison, a photographer who worked for Colors magazine, originally was on assignment photographing prisons in Valledupar, Colombia when he was asked if he wanted to meet one of the facilities most famous inmates, ‘Popeye’, a man who served as Pablo Escobar’s head of security. After meeting him and then becoming fascinated by the Escobar myth, he returned to Colombia to start a project about ‘Narcotecture.’ That is, the evidence of the influence of drug money on architecture.

This initial interest was sidetracked when the ‘narcotecture’ he found wound up being visually disappointing. But like the fortuitous event of meeting ‘Popeye’, Mollison would have more luck come his way disguised as an annoyance. While trying to photograph one of Pablo Escobar‘s former homes, he was briefly detained by some security guards who led him and his camera to the officer in charge. Turns out he was in breach of security rules as the house was now a government building. Upon hearing his intentions and curiosity about Escobar, the officer in charge, whose office happened to previously be Escobar’s bedroom, said, ‘I have a bag of Pablo Escobar photographs- would you like to see them?’

From that moment on, Escobar, who was Colombia’s most infamous drug kingpins, became an obsession for Mollison to explore and separate the truth from the myth.

For those who are unfamiliar with Escobar, he was the head of Colombia’s Medellin Cartel which in the 1980s controlled 80 percent of the cocaine trafficking in the world. He was initially adored by the poor as he used his vast wealth to build housing for the homeless and helped repair and improve poor neighborhoods. By the mid 1980s and early 1990s, his fight against Colombia’s threats to allow his extradition to the United States on drug charges fuelled a deadly war that cost the lives of thousands of innocents along with the guilty.

Escobar’s fight caused Colombia to fast become the world’s murder capital where there were 7,081 murders in 1991 alone. This increased murder rate was fuelled by Escobar giving money to poor youths as a reward for killing police officers. These murders caused the police to retaliate against the youth with death squads that would seek out an assassinate anyone who fit the profile, innocent or guilty.

Escobar had so much power over the events that were unfolding in his country and could evade capture so well that the government, in an act of desperation to end the violence, agreed to Escobar’s terms for his surrender and imprisonment. This made for one of the more odd episodes in the story. Escobar was allowed to remain in Colombia without facing extradition and reside in a prison of his creation, with his own ‘guards’ that oversaw the inside of the prison while normal federal guards oversaw the outside to make sure he didn’t simply walk away. As his head of security ‘Popeye’ is quoted as saying, ‘They put a 10,000-watt electric fence around the prison with the switch in Pablo’s room.’

Even as he was in ‘prison’ the Medellin Cartel was moving cocaine and making money, keeping in competition with other cartels that were trying to take over the routes to the US. At one point in 1992, the excesses of the ‘La Catedral’ prison were revealed and plans to transfer Escobar to a real prison were discussed. But as they were being implemented, Escobar escaped and remained on the run from authorities for almost two years. He was eventually killed in a raid on one of his safe houses on December 2, 1993, one day after his 44^th birthday.

Besides the compelling story, what makes this book fascinating and difficult to put down is the way that the story is complemented with images and documents. Through exhaustive research in tracking down original photographs, police files and the massive trail of unseen ephemera that is associated with Escobar’s life, this book is fully illustrated and presents the material right alongside the text.

Millison was able to come across archives of photographs that are presented as collections instead of breaking up the material in ad hoc fashion. The result is a fascinating series of short chapters that propel the story along while addressing the various facets and key players of the events. One section of photographs is from Escobar’s personal photographer who was hired to document family events such as birthdays and parties. While another is a series of rather grisly evidence photographs from a bombing that took down an Avianca airliner in one of Escobar’s attempts to assassinate a presidential candidate who would have pushed for his extradition. Luckily for us, those are reproduced at a size that renders them just a bit too small for us to be haunted by them. They reminded me of extreme human versions of Peter Beard’s dead elephant aerial photographs from The End of the Game.

One interesting book highlighted in the story is one that Escobar self-published while in ‘prison.’ (If only I had known before I could have included it in my self-publishing post.) Pablo Escobar Gaviria en Caricaturas, 1983-1991 is a leather bound book of hundreds of cartoons and photographs of Escobar that had been published in various newspapers since 1983. 500 copies were printed and given to friends and family. A small pile of these books was found by his bed after he escaped from ‘La Catedral.’ One is up for sale for around $60,000 US dollars but the family of Escobar is contesting the sale on the grounds that it is stolen property.

The design of The Memory of Pablo Escobar is another fine accomplishment by Stuart Smith of Smith Design who I have mentioned glowingly before. Here he has created an extraordinary book that both looks and feels good. It is thick and hefty and at no point over the 350 pages does it allow for a lapse of attention. The choice of paper for the pages is a thick stock which accounts for how dense the book feels. The reproductions are well done and the documents are presented as objects on pages allotted solely for the images.

James Mollison worked on the text with Rainbow Nelson who is a freelance journalist who has worked in Colombia since 1992. It is very well written and the short chapter form allows for the reading to be done in small snippets or to be devoured in one sitting.

This book makes me wonder why other titles that discuss history do not include more visual material among the text. Most images in books of historical nonfiction get clumped together in sections of glossy pages where the original reference in the text has to be sought out for clarity. Here, it is a natural flow of information with reference images that makes it all more memorable.

As stated on the back of the jacket, The Memory of Pablo Escobar is a landmark in visual journalism.

Book Available Here (Memory of Pablo Escobar)

www.chrisboot.com

Like a Thief's Dream by Danny Lyon

Danny Lyon has a new book from Powerhouse called Like a Thief’s Dream.

Lyon is a curious type of artist for me. He is one that I make a point of keeping an eye out for and, although I seem to wind up owning what he offers, often it feels a bit thin and undernourished. In this way he is similar to Larry Clark. The name has a draw that seems to dupe me with promises of new greatness equal to their past accomplishments but rarely does it satisfy.

His two great books are of his earliest, The Bikeriders and Conversations with the Dead. In these, Lyon seems fully engaged and his photography is richer for it. I will say that I have never been a big fan of most of his photography by itself. His talent lays partly in the way that he combines images and text to create a self portrait that melds into the story. In his better works, there is a balance to the treatment of subject and self examination. When he has dwelt solely on his home life and family, we may wonder why we are made privy to it and why does it make a book. The result makes me think of restlessness.

So when I opened Like a Thief’s Dream and found it to be all text and almost no images made by him, I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t another book of collage or bad polaroids of his family. No. Words, nothing but glorious words. And you know the biggest surprise? Lyon is a damn good writer. This book does make me wish that he put down the camera (Leica and 16mm Eclair) after The Bikeriders and Conversations with the Dead and settled for the same life but with a more active pen.

The story that Lyon relates is about a man named James Renton. Lyon met Renton in 1967 while he was working in Huntsville Texas on Conversations with the Dead. Jimmy Renton was serving on a capital murder charge and spent part of his time working in the prison darkroom. Although Renton does not show up in any of the photos in Conversations, he helped Lyon to make a 16 page portfolio edition of the book using the prison printing press. Renton’s name is credited as the lithographer under Lyon’s on the front cover.

When Renton was freed from prison in the early seventies, Lyon reconnected with him and shortly after, Renton was involved in the murder of a young police officer in Arkansas. The consequent criminal investigation and capture of Renton makes for a compelling read. Lyon seems to have fallen in with a man who could provide plenty of compelling material as after being charged and serving a few years in prison, Renton escaped and provided Lyon with a written account of the events.

Renton was one of the FBI’s ten most wanted until his eventual recapture. After his death in 1995, Lyon started to pursue the details of Renton’s crimes through his personal letters, court transcripts and the large amount of paper documenting the man‘s life. The book’s title comes from one of Renton’s letters to Lyon when he referred to Lyon as living a life that was like a thief’s dream.

In my opinion, Lyon has found a third vocation in writing that may prove to be stronger than his first two. Let us hope that he continues for this is the best work he has done in thirty years.

Book Available Here (Like a Thief's Dream)

www.powerhousebooks.com

Four Self Published Books

It should be obvious by now that I think that books are the best way to experience photography. No other medium is treated better and with more respect than photographs in the book form. Paintings are best experienced on walls but are often reproduced too small in books. Sculpture is best in person as reproductions sacrifice the whole concept of a three dimensional work. Film…what?…a giant flipbook?

First off, a book is so intimate. You cradle it in your hands and turn the pages, experiencing the work at your personal pace. You can touch the art so to speak. Because of this tangible aspect, you have a different relationship to the photos. In a gallery, no matter how comfortable you may be in those environments, there is a subtle but very real influence to move through an exhibit faster than you may naturally want to. Either because of what I consider a somewhat stifling environment or due to the presence of other people, we do not linger as much while on our feet than we do in the comfort of our homes in a chair with a book. Our peripheral vision also plays a strong part in influencing our speed through galleries or museums. Seeing the next image on the wall out of the corner of your eye can distract you to “moving on” more rapidly. In a book, the page acts as a barrier, you do not know what is coming until you turn the page. Books also seem to be more effective at adding punctuation into the mix through their design and layout.

So how do artists get their books published? Some are able to find publishers. For Alec Soth, the strength of his work in a handmade volume of Sleeping by the Mississippi found a great reception at the Santa Fe Review and within a year he had his first book with Steidl. Someone like Jessica Backhaus actually spent several days at the Frankfurt book fair showing her portfolio around to every publisher who was interested in photography and found a comfortable home with the publisher Kehrer. Some spend years trying to find the outlet into publishing and never find it, and in some very rare cases, the publishers come searching out the artist.

Lastly, you have people like Lee Friedlander who make the decision to go DIY and start their own publishing company. This last example is a fine way to retain complete control but it is also the way that risks personal financial loss if the book does not find its audience. Boxes of books stored under your bed, in closets, garages, and in parents basements I can imagine have a funny way of constantly reminding you of that loss. The aspect that keeps most artists from pursuing self-publishing is, how do you distribute the book to your audience, or more importantly, how do you let them know it exists at all?

This posting is about people who have taken the reigns and made the decision to do the work themselves. These are four titles that you probably will not know about or have even heard of. And although all of which are fine examples of photographers who have taken the initiative to risk expense and the possibility that they will not find their audience, they also made the decision to limit the amount of books they have printed so they comfortably avoid the issue of storage.

The first is a book that was created using one of the few available online publishing companies like Shared Ink and I discovered it in Brooklyn’s independent bookseller Spoonbill and Sugartown on Bedford Avenue. Patrick O’Hare’s Slipstream is a fine book of twenty landscape photographs made between 2003 and 2006.

Patrick is a quiet photographer who chooses to point his camera at landscapes found up and down the East coast from his New York base. He is a photographer who finds a certain amount of ironic beauty in the landscape but his images, unlike much of what is done in similar territory, is not burdened by only being ironic. Most photographers tend to approach this territory with a cold detachment and what is refreshing about O’Hare is his ability to look and infuse his images with warmth, tenderness, sadness and the joy of simply looking. He is pointing to show what we have made, how we have treated it and how it will be constantly changing. There is a fine amount of melancholy to these pictures. It isn’t depressing but like the title may imply, we are going to be carried along and what we are shown along the way may not always be pleasant but O’Hare tinges it with beauty.

Truthfully, when I saw the book on the shelf, I judged it by the cover thinking Oh…I know what this is going to be but I was so pleasantly surprised by his craft and approach that I was compelled to not only buy the book but to contact him to find out more about who he is. Like his photographs, Patrick is quiet and unassuming. He photographs and seems more interested in where the photographs take him than the attention that may result from creating this book. He is at work creating another book using this same print on demand technology from a new body of work that is about things disappearing or becoming invisible called Learning to Vanish.

Slipstream was made in an edition of 100 signed and numbered copies. A special edition that comes with a signed and numbered 8 by 10 inch C-print on Crystal Archive Paper is also available.

For inquiries and copies of Slipstream, contact him through his website www.patrickohare.com

The next book is by a photographer most of you will already know. Ed Grazda has previously published three books of his work through the publishing houses Powerhouse and Der Alltag which was Walter Keller’s house before SCALO (r.i.p.). This new special edition artist’s book by Ed will come as a surprise for those that know his work. For twenty years he had been photographing in Afghanistan since 1980 and the two books published on the subject are more personal road diary than what we may currently expect from photojournalism in that part of the world. This book is his first that departs from politics, conflict or religion but it is still a road trip of sorts.

Called American Color Slides, he utilizes the print-on-demand technology of the Apple i-book to present 15 photographs that were originally made in the American Southwest from the late 1960’s to the late 1970’s. Playing on the title of Walker Evans American Photographs, American Color Slides is a road trip through the desolate southwest where the roadside architecture either fights for your attention or ignores you with its plain functionality.

Opening with a shot of the long road ahead (complete with a cross in the pavement cracks that lets you know God is with you) he takes us into the dust and white hot sun of Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Due to the consistency of the light and the blueness of the sky, it could seem at first that all of the photos were made on the same day, giving the impression of a series of stills grabbed from the car’s open window. The viewer is placed in the passenger side seat and our minds are kept off the heat by watching the passing landscape.

This is a book that is partly about the less than subtle infringement of color within that landscape. Red is the attention grabbing hue in most of these photographs. In one image, a woman in red walks from a gasoline station and would stand out in complete contrast if not for the Coors and Gulf signs that share the exact same redness and fight for our attention. The signage on storefronts and roadside advertisements is also bright red as is the Chevy parked under a sliver of deep shadow.

For a man who has worked in black and white for the past thirty years, Grazda is quite good exploring in his early years with color film. His choice of material for these images was rolls of Kodachrome and Agfachrome which is specified in each caption as to which was used. This a book that laments both a past era within a landscape which is slow to change while using a technology that this book could serve as an equal memorial.

American Color Slides is published in an edition of 50 signed and numbered copies and like the original edition of Evans’s American Photographs, it wouldn’t have been complete without an errata slip gracing the title page. There is also a very limited edition of ten copies that will come with an 8 by 10 inch print. This the first in a series of books that Ed is creating of images culled from his vast slide archive.

For information on acquiring copies of American Color Slides call Eye Studio at (212) 242-1593.
(Afghanistan Diary 1992-2000)
(New York Masjid)

Enough of this print-on-demand technology, the next two photographers decided to actually take the plunge and have their books printed traditionally with ink on a press. Both of which oddly enough arrived from Australia.

The first is a small book of black and white photographs from Sean Davey called Pidgin. Pidgin is a different kind of road trip. It is a road trip mostly taken at night by a group of friends as they navigate, or more likely stagger through a landscape of drinking, driving and the pursuit of the next good time. The promise of that next good time is often obliterated by a haze of blur that leaves one with a slightly nauseated “contact” hangover. The power of these 48 images is that left over feeling of slight sickness attributed to trying to drink away that feeling of what it is to be on the cusp of adult life and being unsure of what the future holds.

The title Pidgin means a language that is simplified and adapted so that small groups can communicate. Being that this wordless book is from Australia, that title probably has more of a cultural subtext than viewers in other countries may be privy to. To me, it refers to the language of friends and how they come to understand one another. It is a personal communication that creates distinctions between insiders and outsiders. This book allows us to tag along, but what is transpiring between the participants is real and we can only observe and grasp what we can translate.

Sean Davey funded a very small run of this book of which he had only 50 signed copies printed. The book is very cleanly designed with one photo to each right-hand page. There is no text at all. This is a book that challenges the viewer to make up their own mind about what is being presented.

Sean can be contacted at www.pidgin.com.au but there may not be any copies of this book still available.

The last book, Wounded, is from the photographer Jesse Marlow and it is probably the riskiest, most expensive to produce of all four of these featured books. Jesse is a photographer who is carrying forth the fine tradition of so-called street photography. His book Wounded may be the only book of these four that has been seen in public light as it had enjoyed a bit of distribution here in the States.

Wounded is an often hilarious collection of black and white images of the walking wounded. Jesse has apparently been drawn to looking out for the bandaged, the limping, and the bleeding for sometime as the page previous to the first image attests: 39 people were injured in the making of this book.

Now I usually don’t like books that seem to be so cleanly wrapped up (excuse the pun) in an idea or illustration of that idea but this book is too charming to dismiss on those simplistic grounds. First, Jesse is great at juggling information on the fly. For anyone who has spent a lot of time trying to be in the right place at the right time and be facing in the right direction (and then find the exact place to stand and vantage point) will know that these accomplishments are no small feat. And although mainly a humorist, Jesse’s running commentary on the variety of infirmities also allows our frailty to be under examination once the laughs subside. Many of the bandages become glowing beacons of our resilience and the fact that all of these images were made in public attests to that fact. Though hobbled, people continue to go about their business although a bit more slowly and carefully.

The added charm of Wounded is in its packaging. The book comes housed in a slipcase that mimics the texture of a plaster cast. I have the regular edition of the book but have heard that there is a limited edition that actually has to be cracked out of its cast enclosure. The book was published by Sling Shot Press in 2005 and is in an edition of 1000 copies.

Copies are available through Photoeye.com More information and work from Jesse can be found at www.jessemarlow.com.au

Two books on the American Snapshot

There is a quote by John Szarkowski that I read years ago and cannot remember clearly. He said something about photography being promiscuous. I am not quoting him obviously because I've already said I can’t remember...but it was something like: Photography is a promiscuous lover, she will give it up (a masterpiece) on a one night stand to an amateur as readily as she will to some professional who is wed to her. I am sure the actual quote doesn’t say “give it up” but you get the point.

The countless number of family photo albums hidden away in various credenzas will attest to his sentiment. Inside those albums, trapped in pages of that electro-stick paper are masterpieces worthy of sitting beside the world’s great masters of the medium. Who would have thought that when Uncle Pete took a photo of Aunt Jean by the family Ford that the photo gods would notice Pete taking a photo and suddenly grace him with an image that could elevate him momentarily into a master? It happens all the time. Photography is an unpredictable slut.

Since photography is mostly a mechanical process these things are possible. Some other thoughtful soul said something to the effect of: The photographer is capable of making a sketch or a masterpiece using the same gesture. (I probably butchered that one too). I guess if you handed a brush and paint to a 5 year old that they could, in theory, make something as visually sophisticated as Cy Twombly or Robert Motherwell. That is what a lot of people say isn’t it? My five year old could do that. There is currently a movie out which addresses this exact topic called “My Kid Could Paint That” although the little girl featured is four years old not five. And her paintings sold for over $20,000. But since there are billions more images being made than paintings are being painted, we have tons of examples of exactly what I am talking about.

This begs the question, if a photograph or “piece” is created with complete naiveté, can we /should we approach it in the same way that we consider the “real” art in a museum or gallery. I want to say that it doesn’t matter what a person’s intention was, all that matters is the final image. And even if the image was created by a “non-professional” in the most jaw-dropping, casual manner, then it is as valid as anything that could be hung next to it.
Picasso and Uncle Pete.

Two new books feature collections of such “masterpieces,” The Art of The American Snapshot 1888-1978 from Princeton University Press and Michael Abrams's …Strange and Singular…from Loosestrife Editions.

The Art of The American Snapshot 1888-1978 is a catalog that will accompany an exhibition of the same name that will be on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC on October 7^th. The photographs in the exhibition and catalog are culled from the collection of Robert E. Jackson who believes that creativity is not solely the province of artists but resides in all of us.

The book is illustrated with a couple of hundred images, the earliest of which correspond to the year that Kodak released its first camera, 1888 and the latest from are 1978. Within essays by Sarah Greenough, Diane Wagner and Matthew S. Witkovsky, the catalog provides a history that reflects the technological advances from Kodak Brownie (the first generation) to the Leica (the second generation) to the third and fourth generations which enjoyed cartridge loaded cameras and instant cameras with Polaroid materials. Matthew Witkovsky mentions in his essay on 1960 to 1978 a rivalry between Kodak and Polaroid as there were collaborations with artists that gave Polaroid a certain respect that was previously only held by Kodak.

The photographs featured in this book are surely fine examples of wonderfully inventive and playful photos but considering how much has been produced (Polaroid estimates that over a billion instant photos were made in 1974 alone) there could easily be twenty volumes on this study and we probably wouldn‘t get tired of looking. Thankfully, this book is large at almost 300 pages. It is finely produced with a nice design contributed by Margaret Bauer and the photo separations were created by the masterful Robert Hennessey. One interesting touch is the reproductions are mostly actual size of the originals and include the various straight or scalloped decorative edges of the photos.

Michael Abrams ….Strange and Singular… is another title that is a collection of found family snapshots. The difference here is that the book’s construction and design creates a much different dynamic. Books of found photos are somewhat common. Some like the Fraenkel Gallery’s recent The Book of Shadows feature photos presented in thematic ways. The Book of Shadows has the photographer’s shadow appearing in all of the images.

The dynamic created in Michael Abrams’ book is an edit and order to the photographs so as to create what the book’s title implies. The full title, taken from Michel Foucault is: A readiness to find Strange and Singular, what surrounds us, a certain relentlessness to break up our familiarities, a fervor to grasp what is happening and what passes; a casualness in regard to the traditional hierarchies of the important.

What better description of the impetus of photography can be found (in a very French intellectual kind of way I mean)?

The book is a linear journey through photographs that moves along effortlessly due to the strength of the selection of images and a compelling design. As with all of Loosestrife’s books (I think) John Gossage is credited with the design along with Mr. Abrams. Together, they tempt disaster with design quirks such as images where one half appears on one page and the other half appears on the verso but the risks they have taken only add to the artistry of the book. The visual flow and “narration” that comes in the form of various quotes about photography keeps you moving through this familiar yet unknown and often confusing territory. The sequence opens with an optimistic image of a car on the open road and ends with two photos of a taxi that seem innocuous until you notice the chalk outline on the pavement.

Occasionally throughout the book quotes from various voices appear mostly in dialogue with photography itself. I read this as a kind of “narration” coming from Abrams directly. Although I like the way they designed the type in relation to the images with words laid over photographs or the text being obscured by the photos, the quotes sometimes fall flat for me. That may simply be because I am familiar with many of the quotes chosen and I immediately see the cleaver pairings.

The book is made from very fine materials and as with all of their books, it feels as nice as it looks. This is the smallest in trim size in relation to Loosestrife’s other titles, some of which are epic in their proportions but it holds its own with its intimacy. One surprise is few actual photographs that have been slipped into different places in each book making each edition unique.

These two titles make me question the art of photography. It is almost depressing (to my ego) that so many great photographs are made by someone just responding to something with naiveté and the result produces something of wonder. The difference is how the maker and the viewer respond when looking at the final image. Most likely the two have very different perceptions. We may see the pattern of the dress Aunt Jean is wearing and the shape of the fender on the Ford as siblings from the same family (and the dog pissing in the background) and perhaps the photographer just sees Aunt Jean and the Ford (and the dog pissing in the background).

Art is in the eye of the beholder. I sometimes wish I could just see the Ford. It is enough to make you feel so damn mediocre to see the art in everything.

Book Available Here (Art of the American Snapshot)

www.press.princeton.edu

Book Available Here (Strange and Singular)

www.loosestrifebooks.com

Anthony Hernandez: L.A. Photographs of Waiting, Sitting...

“Street photographer” has been a term that gets tossed about in regard to any number of photographers. Garry Winogrand was regarded as the epitome of the “street photographer” but he actually thought the term didn’t mean anything, that it was dumb…not dumb like stupid, dumb like it doesn’t say anything. And in reality, it doesn’t mean anything but an assumption. Was Ansel Adams a “forest photographer”? Brassai a “hooker and thug photographer”? Lately Robert Adams has been a damn good “leaf photographer.”

Well…I have finally discovered someone who I am fairly comfortable in calling a “street photographer.” His name is Anthony Hernandez and his new book from Loosestrife Editions is called Los Angeles Photographs of: Waiting, Sitting, Fishing and Some Automobiles.

Why am I willing to call Anthony Hernandez a “street photographer” and not the other usual suspects commonly associated with that term? Simply because while looking at his photographs of Los Angeles pedestrians waiting at various bus stops, it is the street that takes center stage and carries most of the weight. With folks like Mr. Winogrand, it was mostly the human element and the seven deadly sins that make his photographs carry so much meaning and substance. With Mr. Hernandez, it is the street and its horrific endless hardness and uncomforting layers that cause us to be unsettled about the human condition. So finally…a “street photographer.” Maybe it’s just LA. The photographer Lewis Baltz said of the place, “I always believed that God would destroy L.A. for its sins. Finally, I realized that He had already destroyed it, and then left it around as a warning.”

Working with a 5 by 7 view camera, Hernandez spent his days making his way around L.A. and his choice of time of day seems to be high noon. Perhaps that is his homage to the great westerns spawned from Studio CityL.A. because escape from the sun may be a futile exercise. The city was created in the one of the more hostile areas for humans to set up shop. or perhaps that time of day is a fitting description of

Hernandez is a "street photographer" also because the people who appear in his photographs know the streets intimately. These are pictures that describe a working class who use public transportation as a car might be convenient but is ultimately unaffordable. In the book‘s third act, these same people take small pleasure in recreating in spots that are little more than areas where man’s desire for more asphalt constructions has waned partly due to the impediment of a small body of water. Here they fish…for what? Food? Pleasure? In these photos it seems as though the idea of fishing may be more pleasurable than the act.

His book is divided into four parts and the last is dedicated to that myth of status, the car. L.A. is constantly being described as a city where the car is a necessity. In Hernandez’s L.A. the car is present but it is of a make and model that is thoroughly weather beaten and just on the verge of an expensive repair. In fact, if we were to believe Hernandez’s vision of car culture, we would declare it a pointless endeavor and just take the bus. The last image in the book is of an empty car dealership lot on Glendale Avenue; another wasteland with remnants of car parts and litter left for the sun to beat up on.

The book is a wonderful piece of creative design by the photographer John Gossage. He handles the cover typography so well that Neville Brody would nod with approval (who else would give a bold “Printed in China” credit a prominent spot right on the cover?). The interior of the book is a series of gatefolds with the photographs hidden beneath pages of city street maps that identify the locations. And although this aspect makes it a book that takes some extra handling and effort to see the images, the quality and feel of the materials makes it a pleasure and not a burden. The paper choice and printing style lends a chalky bright high key quality to the images that has you searching for a bit of shadow to seek refuge under.

The pleasure of Loosestrife books is that every aspect of the book has been taken into consideration and although they may cost a bit more than other books, after you bite the bullet, you realize that there is a reason for the higher price. This book had to have cost a small fortune to produce with its design quirks. Thank you John and Michael for not sparing the expense.

Book Available Here (LA: Waiting, Sitting, Fishing, and Some Automobiles)

www.loosestrifebooks.com

Important Photographs Christie's Auction Catalog

OK…enough fairs and exhibition distractions, this posting is for all of you Robert Frankophiles. You will want to check out the new auction catalog from Christie's entitled Important Photographs (from a private American collection).

Although this is a small auction by usual standards with only 37 items being offered, almost half are works by Robert Frank. And since he is the dominant artist featured, the entire catalog is dedicated to showcasing his works and comparing them to the other important artists whose works are also being offered.

The catalog was overseen by Stuart Alexander who was responsible for the Robert Frank Bibliography published by the Center for Creative Photography in 1986 and he was given carte blanche by Christie's to make the catalog according to his wishes. The result is a fantastic production that pulls out design features including gatefolds and reproductions of book jackets and other publications where the photographs have appeared in print. As Alexander states in his brief introduction to the catalog: The importance of context for the interpretation of photographs inspired the design of this catalog to include relevant quotes, facsimiles of book covers and page spreads of early presentations of these images.

The descriptions of the different lots include many details on the material’s provenance and in turn, their historical relevance in either exhibitions or in the creation of Frank’s landmark book Les Americains. The entry on Trolley-New Orleans offers interesting details about how Frank used his prints while planning for Les Americains. One part reads: The pinholes in the corners, numerical markings, size and apparent age of this print suggests that it was used in the final stages of preparation for the first edition of Les Americains published in Paris in May of 1958. Frank made 8 x 10 inch prints from the negatives he exposed on his Guggenheim Fellowship. He edited them and made decisions about sequencing by pinning, tacking and even stapling prints on the wall of his studio.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC has dozens of prints- some even still have the staples in them. Many of the work prints used in early stages have the negative numbers written on them in grease pencil.

Among the reproductions of the images, there are a few detail photographs of the stamps and stickers that had been affixed to the prints. When Frank applied for an extension on his fellowship, he submitted several prints as supporting material onto which he affixed adhesive labels with penned captions. One image that was in this group is of three (theater?)usherettes from 1956 which is an image that did not appear in Les Americains and is one that I believe has never been published before.

One interesting fact of the book’s title comes under discussion as Alexander recounts that Frank’s original title for the maquette was Americans but since the book was first published in French, the language required the article Les to be added, thus Les Americains. When this was translated to English, the article tagged along and thus sparked some negative reaction to the assumption that the book was meant to be a description of all Americans.

The prices of these items are very high due to their exhibition history of their being used to create the book. For instance, the Trolley-New Orleans photograph that graced the cover of several editions of the book is estimated to fetch between $150,000 and $250,000. Hmmm…let’s decide, $250,000 for an apartment or a piece of paper? (In New York City, the apartment you’d get for $250,000 would be too small to even hang this 8x10 print so you should probably just go ahead and buy the photo.) The rest of the prints stay within the $30,000 to $60,000 range.

Walker Evans appropriately is the other artist in the catalog with the most images for sale from this collection. All of his images are from his classic subway images that eventually made up the book Many Are Called.

The other artists whose works are being offered for sale are: Helen Levitt, Arthur Leipzig, Dorothea Lange, Brassai, Diane Arbus, Lisette Model, Morris Engel, Ben Shahn, Weegee and Margaret Bourke-White.

The auction date is scheduled for Wednesday October 17, 2007.

Buy catalog at Christie's

NY Art Book Fair: From the Frontlines

Sorry I have been quiet lately. Between the NY Art Book Fair in Chelsea and putting the final touches on the Sergio Larrain show, my days have been long and my writing abilities have been compromised. The good news is that I will have plenty of great little books to tell you about in the coming weeks.

For those of you who are not able to attend the NY Art Book Fair, here are some of the highlights that you will be missing. I attended the opening night preview which for the measly twenty dollar ticket price got me full of complimentary Grolsch beer and Christiania Vodka (beer before liquor never sicker), the David Shrigley entrance ticket art edition and access to two whole floors of great art books.

The first of my purchases was a set of small (very small) booklets from a Danish artist named Jesper Fabricius. These are from a series of booklets named Kunsthaefte and consist of only 8 to 12 pages of images in hand-stitched bound books. I will be doing a posting about Jesper later, so I’ll save the content for then. I had seen a few of his books at Printed Matter about a week before the fair and bought all that they had. Printed Matter apparently sells out of them so quickly that I was only able to purchase four of an ongoing series of 14 books he periodically self publishes under the name Space Poetry. I contacted Jesper directly via his website and asked if he still had copies of all of the books including the early “issues” which he agreed to sent with a friend who was attending the fair.

Here’s the odd part, Jesper Fabricius sent the books with his friend named Jacob Fabricius from Pork Salad Press who is an exhibitor at the fair. When I met Jacob, I automatically assumed they, Jacob and Jesper, were perhaps brothers but that isn’t the case. I was informed that not only are they not related but that Fabricius is also not a common name in Denmark. What are the odds of that? Two guys who share the same uncommon last name who are art book publishers from Denmark (and according to Jacob, they look somewhat alike but Jesper is older)…it all left me feeling like I was a pawn in some kind of elaborate scheme to keep an identity secret. Anyway…I’ll tell you about the books in a week or two.

The next pleasant discovery was of a gentleman from South Africa named David Krut. David runs a gallery in Africa and here in New York (we share the same building at 526 West 26^th street) and one of his artists who he has published happens to be one of my favorites, William Kentridge. David’s gallery and publishing company offer books and DVD’s of Kentridge’s fascinating prints and animated films of which there is a new book that covers Kentridge’s recent adaptation and staging of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I happened to see one of the performances months ago when his production came to Brooklyn Academy of Music and was awed by the adaptation. My purchase from David was a copy of a book from 2006 called William Kentridge Prints. I will feature this book as well here at 5B4 at a later date.

Other interesting exhibitors on the first floor were Andrew Roth’s booth who most of you might know from his publication The Book of 101 Photo Books that was published a few years back. Spoonbill and Sugartown who is one of our hometown sellers from trendy Williamsburg Brooklyn was present with a selection of new and rare books. Anartist, who is an antiquarian bookseller with a great selection of titles; some affordable, some not. Librarie 213 from Paris who has an extremely fine collection of items in great condition that you will pay for the privilege of owning. Lots of Becher titles from both of those last two.

Lightreading, Inc. from Philadelphia is another photobook dealer, formerly Caney Booksellers of Cherry Hill New Jersey. I have known of them for years as I used to receive their mailed catalogs. Happens that my family lives not too far from where Joel Caney used to have his office which was packed wall to wall with photobooks and I used to stop by often unannounced to browse the shelves. Joel is a knowledgeable source on the topic of photobooks and has an added passion and love of them that seems to escape many dealers. My purchases last night were a copy of Marketa Luskacova’s Pilgrims for ten bucks and what I thought was an extremely good deal of a copy of Bill Burke’s They Shall Castout Demons for $75.00.

On the second floor notable exhibitors were Onestar Press out of Paris who has done a fine book of John Gossage called Dance Card Vol.2 which spans that prolific artist’s career. The Center for Book Arts, which for NY based book artists, is a valuable source for access to classes and facilities for book making. Nieves, the ‘zine-style publisher was there with copies of their two Larry Clark editions for 50.00 each (the rest average 6 dollars). Probably a steal at that price (and it is Clark photos from ‘the good ol’ days) but I refrained and am $100.00 heavier for it. (See…the twelve steps in action and working fine).

My other purchase from the night was from J & L. Jason Fulford and Leanne Shapton have what I think amounts to the coolest non-profit publishing company imaginable. Great design and interesting choices of work to feature, they consistently put out very affordable books that seem like they should be twice the price that they really are. Leanne was busy with a sideline of hand painted imaginary book covers (suggest a book title and she will create a painting version…she was working on J. G. Ballard’s Cocaine Nights when I was there). J & L has a new video release called appropriately J & L Video, of which I think they have more of those planned in the future. One recent book title that I bought from them was Darin Mickey’s Some Things I Gotta Remember Not to Forget which is a fine portrait in pictures of Darin’s father. I will be giving that book my full attention in a posting soon. These mentions are all just teasers, you’ll have to check back for the full treatment.

Lastly, Philip Aarons and AA Bronson of Printed Matter curated an excellent exhibit of Martin Kippenberger's artist books. Kippenberger created over 150 publications in his short life. Although I am still in the process of acclimating myself to Martin’s work, he is considered one of the most important book artists post Ed Ruscha and Sol Lewitt.

And the last of the “lastly’s” You all do remember that Saturday the 29^th from 6 to 8 pm is the reception for the Sergio Larrain exhibition of books at the Eye Studio Gallery? Do I have to keep reminding you? 526 west 26^th street #507 (5^th floor). Be there and you may be in time for our supply of Peruvian beer that we have smuggled into the country all the way from Cusco via very tired llamas.

NY Art Book Fair and Sergio Larrain Exhibition (a reminder)

This is a quick event announcement for the second annual NY Art Book Fair that is happening in Chelsea this coming up weekend from September 28^th through the 30^th. This fair is taking place just a few blocks from the Eye Studio Gallery on 26^th street, so since you were all coming to the Sergio Larrain Book exhibition anyway (right?)…this is another incentive to come over and take a look at both of these great NY book events. A reminder that on Saturday the 29th from 6-8pm, there is a reception for the Sergio Larrain exhibition of books.

The NY Art Book Fair is going to take place at 548 West 22^nd Street between 10^th and 11^th Avenues in New York City.

This second annual book fair offers titles of contemporary art books, art catalogs, artists books, art periodicals, and ‘zines for sale by over 120 international publishers, booksellers and antiquarian book dealers.

The NY Art Book Fair is organized by Printed Matter, a bookstore at 195 Tenth Avenue. Printed Matter was founded in 1976 by Sol Lewitt, Lucy Lippard, and a group of like-minded artists and art workers. Now entering its 31^st year, it is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted to artists’ publications. Printed Matter offers some 15,000 titles by 5,000 artists.

The Printed Matter store is a great resource for discovering very obscure, limited edition and handmade books by both artists you probably had no idea existed and artists that are household names. I have been buying books there and enjoying their exhibitions since 1987. They were responsible for making an edition of Larry Clark’s Tulsa available in 1999 when several unbound and uncut sheets from the 1971 edition were discovered by Clark and given to Printed Matter to bind and sell to raise funds for the organization. Released in only an edition of 100 hand-numbered and signed copies it is now one of the more desirable titles of Clark’s.

Although the main days of the NY Art Book Fair are free admission, there is a Benefit Preview on Thursday the 27^th for which there are tickets for sale at three different price levels. At the lowest level, the 7-9 pm preview is $20.00 and I have been told there is an open bar AND the admission ticket is an original piece of art by David Shrigley (called Fucking Aces) created specifically for the preview. The second level of ticket price for the preview is $150.00 and gets you all of the above PLUS an edition by Josephine Meckseper. The highest level price is available upon request and gets you in even earlier at 6pm and you get an edition by Ed Ruscha called Little Mexican Church on a Windowsill and the David Shrigley Fucking Aces ticket. All proceeds benefit Printed Matter, Inc.

The regular fair hours that are free admission are: Friday the 28^th from 11am to 7pm. Saturday the 29^th from 11am to 7pm. Sunday the 30^th from 11am to 5pm. There are also a series of events including book signings, discussions, workshops and performances celebrating art publications during the course of the fair.

For more information visit: www.nyartbookfair.com