Review by Choice Review
Travis, curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago for more than 30 years, during which he organized a number of excellent exhibitions and their attendant catalogs, has prepared a modest book of essays on some aspects of modern (or modernist) photographic practice. Travis states that he believes that photographs are taken by photographers--or, in other words, by individuals who bring their own unique personality, character, intelligences, emotions, and life experiences to bear when they begin to make images. This refreshing notion both fuels and sustains these seven essays, each of which offers knowledgeable, literate, humane, and interesting reflections on the act of creativity while discussing a handful of photographers ranging from Alfred Stieglitz (1900s) to Joel Sternfeld (1990s). The last three essays discuss the qualities of mastery found in the final years of the matured careers of, respectively, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, and Paul Strand, thus finally putting into print some dialogue about that mysterious but true phenomenon found occasionally in the history of art--where acknowledged masters somehow, toward the ends of their lives, elevate their art to an even higher plane. The book's classically simple design and presentation both complement and extend the essays' mood and ideation. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels. W. S. Johnson SUNY College at Brockport
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In this enlivening suite of precise and thoughtful essays, Travis, curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago, conducts a unique and ardent inquiry. He explores "lived experience as a source of visual ideas" by considering the personal context within which specific photographs are made, reporting, for instance, on the revelations granted by his conversations with Brassaiand scrutiny of the photographer's heavily marked books. Travis, who often quotes poetry, including that of Gary Snyder (the title is his) and Wallace Stevens, is intrigued with the "third period" of an artist's life, and offers thrillingly fresh analysis of late work by Edward Weston and Alfred Stieglitz. Travis also seeks to discern how exactly the artist transcends the mechanical point-and-shoot aspect of photography. And, most strikingly, he seeks new metaphors for understanding the power of images in mathematics, discussing Garry Winograd's gift for discovering "situational primes" and the way Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographs are "like a set geometric trap" into which the photographer adds "the dimension of incidence." This is cogent and adventurous thinking. A true intellectual pleasure. --Donna Seaman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago, Travis undertakes the difficult task of explaining why good photography is good. With seven essays taken from the author's own lectures, this book differs from previous attempts at this goal by making successful use of comparisons. In one chapter, Travis compares mathematical proofs with similar patterns of thought used in photography. In other parts of the book, he compares the work of photographers to that of poets, painters, and a Japanese tea master. The author also examines closely the subject matter and technical approaches that were used at different times in photographers' lives. For the knowledgeable reader, this book rises above other books on the subject that rely on narrow descriptions of selected pictures or merely fit photographers into art movements. It must be noted, however, that Travis's book is only suitable for readers already familiar with the photographers covered, among them Brassa?, Andr? Kert?sz, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Charles Sheeler, and Paul Strand. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.-Eric Linderman, East Cleveland P.L., OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
