Book Description
This is the first book to reproduce the definitive set of 937 rarely seen and classic images of Robert Capa, one of the most influential documentary photographers of the twentieth century.Robert Capa (1913-54), one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century and a founding member of Magnum photographic agency, had the mind of a passionate and committed journalist and the eye of an artist. His lifework, consisting of more than 70,000 negative frames, constitutes an unparalleled documentation of a crucial 22-year period (1932-54) encompassing some of the most catastrophic and dramatic events of the last century. This book represents the most definitive selection of Capa's work ever published, 937 photographs meticulously selected by his brother, Cornell Capa (himself a noted Life photographer), and his biographer, Richard Whelan.The photographs, arranged in chronological order as stories and accompanied by brief commentaries, reveal the dramatic shifts in location and subject matter that Capa experienced from day to day--- from war-torn Israel to Pablo Picasso on a sunny beach in France and from Ernest Hemingway carousing in London to Capa's historic images of the Allied landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944.
Customer Reviews:
Robert Capa, photographer.......2007-08-10
An excellent book, well printed, with a lot of photographs. The whole book gives a very good vieuw of the work of Capa. A must for everybody!
This slice of history is a treasure.......2007-06-27
As a student of photography in the 1970's, I was familiar with a few dozen of
these images. However I'm thrilled to be able to experience and share this
collection of hundreds of Robert Capa's images, in roughly chronological order, including a few glimpses shot by others which help give a sense of the
times and places in which he blazed fearlessly through his inevitably short life. This is a great gift for anyone interested in the life and work of the
photojournalist covering the frontlines of world conflict.
Incredible.......2005-08-28
Some of the best war photography. Includes all of Capa's most famous photos, and gives some biographical info. I found it inspiring -- it's more important to be close than to have fancy equipment. Courage and preparation win out.
It is definitive.......2001-12-09
I have not seen another book on Robert Capa that provides such a complete and insightful coverage of his career and voluminous production. For those who appreciate the importance of Capa's contribution to the history of photography and the rendition of key events spanning a momentous era of human history, this book is a "must-have". At the same time, it is unfortunate that the publishers chose to economize on the quality of the printing and the binding.
Book Description
Considered by many to be the greatest war photographer, Robert Capa first gained recognition for images he made during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). This volume is the first to be devoted entirely to these photographs.
In 1936, the rebellion of monarchists and fascists led by General Franco, in alliance with Hitler and Mussolini, mobilized anti-fascists all over the world, among them Robert Capa. During the entire period of the civil war, Capa traveled throughout the Loyalist-held areas of Spain, photographing battles, cities under siege, and the chaos of a modern nation at war with itself.
One series of images documents the heroic Loyalist defense of Madrid; another the mass exodus of Catalonians from Barcelona to the French border. His iconic photograph of a Loyalist militiaman who has just been shot shocked the world with its brutal immediacy. Capa's pictures not only illuminated the strength and courage of the soldiers who carried on against overwhelming odds but also galvanized compassion for the innocent and injured. John Steinbeck praised Capa for his ability to "show the horror of a whole people in the face of a child."
Customer Reviews:
This book is exceptional.......2007-01-11
Is a very interesting book, whith "beautifull" images in a very good print.
Unbelievably Potent Photographs of Spain's Civil War.......2001-06-12
Capa is considered one of the fathers of modern combat photography. These photographs clearly verify that fact. The modern combat photographers that have come after were all aware of Capa's work and if they didn't overtly copy his style, they certainly used it as a foundation. The potency of these photographs is not so much the action they sometimes capture, but in the faces set in the multitude of back drops of war. The viciousness and tragedy of this conflict hotly radiate out of some of these photographs. Others coolly reflect despair and fear. The book is at the same time a statement about war and a valuable historical document.
Thank God the communists lost in Spain.......2000-11-19
This collection of photos are important for the sake of history but must be evaluated in the proper context: Capa and the Loyalists sought to establish a Stalinist state in Spain, not a "democracy". The creation of a Stalinist state would have brought terror, murder, etc. upon the Spanish people and would have destroyed the country. I believe that the record of history (and my own personal experience as a Spaniard) has proven that the Nationalist victory was the best thing that could have happened to Spain at the time. Just look at the atrocities (tens of millions of dead, terror, etc) the Communists committed in Russia, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, and on and on and on; who in their right mind would wish that on anyone? Franco punished some of the loyalists but the overwhelming majority were welcomed back into society. Now that the Soviet Union has fallen and that ridiculous "philosophy" of "communism" has been proven to be one of the worst disasters visited upon mankind those who tried to force that evil upon Spain during the Civil War should hang their heads in shame. Viva Espana!
To read this book is to see the heart of Robert Capa.......1999-11-10
This book shows the heart of the Spainish people as they fought for their freedom. One could ask, "What Price Freedom?" Robert Capa lost his one true love when Gerda Taro was killed. To read through this book, to look at the pictures, is to look into the heart of Robert Capa.
Bob we all miss you.
An Essential Book for any serious collector.......1999-08-16
This is one of the best and most moving combat photo volumnes I have seen. Capa is a genius artist with the camera, compassionate toward humanity and as courageous as any soldier on the field of battle. All these three qualities jump at you with the turn of every page. There is no saftey of the Zoom lens here. The comments from the reviewer of the DC are absurd. This book is about humanity at war. Whether or not the subject matter happens to be from one army or another is least of the concerns. I have seen many fine photos of the German Army in combat and have never viewed them as propaganda nor do I feel any sympathy for their objectives. It is about the essence of capturing a man in his most important minute of his life.
Amazon.com
Robert Capa, whose images of the Spanish Civil War brought home the hideous suffering of that conflict and brought Capa international fame, is the 20th century's most accomplished photographer of warfare. This collection of Capa's work demonstrates that he was more than a war photographer: he was a master of depicting ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances. The volume includes an essay by Cornell Capa, the photographer's brother and the founder of the International Center for Photography, as well as a foreword by Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Book Description
Robert Capa: Photographs is the first true retrospective book of one of the century's greatest photographers. Drawing upon hundreds of previously unseen images, this collection reveals Capa as one of the great poets of the camera. In these photographs, we see through the eyes of a driven humanist who was also a documentarian of the highest caliber. While previous volumes on Capa have focused on his role as a war photographer, Robert Capa: Photographs shows us the remarkable range of his work, which encompasses the sufferings as well as the tenderness, humor and wonder of his subjects.
Robert Capa demonstrated not only a passionate commitment to improving the human condition, but also an unfailing eye for graphic impact. Although his photographs remain the definitive visual records of such momentous events as the siege of Madrid, the bombing of Hankou, and the Allied landings on D-day, many of his images have a timeless and universal quality that transcends the specifics of history. A Spanish soldier recoils at the impact of a bullet, the final instant of his life. In a scene of perfect joy, a group of Chinese children laugh at the sky as snow begins to fall. Four farm workers, hauling all the belongings they can manage, trudge grimly away from an apocalyptic backdrop of smoke and ruins: their war-devastated homes.
Capa's images reveal his profound compassion and perceptiveness about our tenuous human state. As Cornell Capa (Robert's younger brother and the Founding Director Emeritus of the International Center of Photography) writes in his eloquent remembrance: "He managed to travel all over the world, and to communicate his experience and feelings through a universal language: photography." Robert Capa: Photographs also includes a foreword by Capa's close friend Henri Cartier-Bresson, as well as an informative historical essay by Capa biographer Richard Whelan.
At last, here is the book that reveals Robert Capa in a new light. The extraordinary collection of images in Robert Capa: Photographs brings us--through the events of history--to the very heart of humanity.
Customer Reviews:
Capa Photographs.......2006-03-26
This is a beautiful book by one of the great photographers who shot his dramatic photos right at the frontline of wars. His years in Paris, his friendship and photos of the giants of European art and cultur reflects the recognition he received from his contemporaries. His tragic death in Vietnam was a great loss for everyone interested in his art!
The Bravest War Photographer of All Time..........2005-09-27
Frank Capa (born Endre Friedmann in 1913) was known as the 'Greatest War-Photographer in the World" when he died in 1954. As a teen, he planned a career as a reporter. Journalsim, he thought, would enable him to combine his loves of politics and literature. In the spring of 1936, he adopted the name Robert Capa, the name of an alter ego, the imaginary character of a glamorous American photographer.
He photographed five wars from '36 to '54. The first was the Spanish Civil War. He'd been sent to Madrid to photograph Juan de la Cierva who, in 1923, had invented a forerunner of the helicopter. He stayed on in Spain because he felt an affinity with the warmth, exuberance, and generosity of the Spanish people. He went to Barcelona, (a penpal in the Fifties came from that area, Sabadell, and was a mill worker who learned his English from American sailors and Frank Sinatra records.), Andalucia, and Cordoba.
General Francisco Franco launched a civil war in July, 1936, which changed Spain forever. He had the courage of his convictions and his photos show a compassionate study of people under extreme stress. He was a photographer of people, which is the opposite of me, as I choose buildings, things, birs, animals, historic places and such for my amateur picture taking.
Unlike his friend Ernest Hemingway, he never felt he had to prove his courage to himself or to anyone else. He was intent on making better pictures, at great risk to his safety. Unlike Hemingway, he was very much a gentleman of the old school, coming from Europe, and "gentlemen don't brag." He believed that one shouldn't tempt fate by bragging.
On the battlefields of Spain, he learned that soldiers use theri terrible weapons of mass destruction only because they have been brainwashed into the ability to 'conceptualize' their victims not as individuals but as a category -- the 'enemy.'
He died in Indochina when he stepped on aa nati-personnel land mine. He was buried by his mother in a Quaker cemetery instead of Arlington National Cemetery, which was an offer she refused.
Pure empathy.......2003-06-01
Ordinary people caught under extraordinary circumstances are what give these images the power that they have and elicit pure empathy from the viewer. Robert Capa earned his place in photographic history and left behind a body of work for us to consider...
Amazing photographs.......1999-08-10
This book has some really amazing photography, they have a really powerful message. I like photos that make me feel something and Robert Capa's photos difinatly do that. Robert Capa was in the right place and the right time with alot of his photos. The only thing the book lacked i feel is more background on the photos.
Book Description
The legendary war photographer Robert Capa carried into his personal life the same remarkable vitality that characterizes his pictures. Driven from his native Hungary by political oppression, he was first recognized for photographing the Spanish Civil War. In 1938 he was in China recording the Japanese invasion. During World War II he was in London, North Africa, and Italy, and then in France covering D-Day on Omaha Beach, the liberation of Paris, and the Battle of the Bulge. When the new nation of Israel was founded in 1948 he was there. In 1954 he was in Vietnam, taking photographs until the moment he was killed.
Away from battle, Capa gather about him such famous people as Ernest Hemingway and his wife (the war correspondent Martha Gellhorn), Gary Cooper, Irwin Shaw, and Gene Kelly. Whelan shows Capa photographing the street life of Paris, crisscrossing America on assignment from Life, in Russia with John Steinbeck, in Italy with John Huston, on the Riviera with Picasso, and with Ingrid Bergman.
Customer Reviews:
Good read.......2007-06-14
Capa was a star. I'd love to meet the guy.
Amazon.com
Robert Capa, the great photojournalist who is perhaps best known for his searing images of WWII, infused his autobiography with the same brio and warmth that he expressed in his now classic photographs. "Victory was pleasant and exhausting," the Hungarian-born American notes after the Allies' capture of Tunisia. "During the day in the streets ... we were kissed by hundreds of old women.... We had enough liquor from a captured Gestapo warehouse to keep our singing throats from drying out." Always on the frontlines (he was killed in 1954 in what would later become known as the Vietnam War), Capa went ahead with the parachute invasion of Sicily even though he had been fired from Colliers Weekly--flying in with a squadron of young soldiers he refers to as "boys." When Capa's turn came to jump, he forgot to count "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand" before pulling his cord, instead murmuring, "Fired photographer jumps." "I felt a jerk on my shoulder and my chute was open. 'Fired photographer floats,' I said happily to myself." Stuck dangling in a tree all night, he didn't dare call out for help. "With my Hungarian accent, I stood an equal chance of being shot by either side."
Writing or clicking the shutter, Capa was the perfect conduit for his time, with the war's almost casual heroism, palpable danger, and the importance of every moment of life--whether lying in a foxhole or shopping in London at Dunhill's for a silver flask. Slightly Out of Focus is dotted with his pictures, including the most famous ones of the D day invasion. "I am a gambler," Capa writes. "I decided to go in with Company E in the first wave." Capa's priceless, self-deprecating text tells much, and his photographs show the rest: how thin the Europeans were in Italy, France, and Germany, for example, trim as saplings from years of deprivation. And then there's Capa's famous series showing the plump Frenchwoman, a German collaborator, marked for shame by her shaved head, hurrying past her taunting neighbors, all of whom are gaunt by comparison.
This is a war book, of course, but it will transfix documentary photographers. And this Modern Library edition, which links Capa with such great writers as Ernest Hemingway (whom he photographed wounded), confers suitable honor on his earthy genius. --Peggy Moorman
Book Description
In 1942, a dashing young man who liked nothing so much as a heated game of poker, a good bottle of scotch, and the company of a pretty girl hopped a merchant ship to England. He was Robert Capa, the brilliant and daring photojournalist, and Collier's magazine had put him on assignment to photograph the war raging in Europe. In these pages, Capa recounts his terrifying journey through the darkest battles of World War II and shares his memories of the men and women of the Allied forces who befriended, amused, and captivated him along the way. His photographs are masterpieces -- John G. Morris, Magnum Photos' first executive editor, called Capa "the century's greatest battlefield photographer" -- and his writing is by turns riotously funny and deeply moving.
From Sicily to London, Normandy to Algiers, Capa experienced some of the most trying conditions imaginable, yet his compassion and wit shine on every page of this book. Charming and profound, Slightly Out of Focus is a marvelous memoir told in words and pictures by an extraordinary man.
Customer Reviews:
A Look At The Man Behind The Camera.......2004-10-07
In the world of combat photography, the name Robert Capa occupies the apex. Having covered four major wars, his photos are not only a testament to his skill with a lens, but also serve as an excellent illustrated record of the 20th century.
Aside from being a remarkable photographer, Capa is also quite adept with the pen. Slightly Out of Focus is a brilliant illustration of Capa's multifacited skills as a journalist.
Beginning in 1942, Capa, a Hungarian exile, describes his life as a "potential enemy alien" living in New York City and the subsequent difficulties of trying to attain passage to the European theatre. These biographical snippets lend an interesting take on Capa the man; aspects all too often over-powered by his fame as a photographer.
Once arrived in Europe, Capa creates an interesting tale of love and adventure. Originally, Slightly Out of Focus was to serve as screen play. As such, Focus is based on actual events, but tinted with imagination in order to be better suited for Hollywood. Nevertheless, the work is historically accurate and Capa's insights of World War II cut to the quick.
Interestingly, Capa views the World War II experience as enlightening and generally good. Rarely are there the melancholy sentiments that color other war memoirs, (i.e. famed combat photographer Tim Page). The exception being a brief allusion to bearing witness to the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. An instance where Capa chose not to click the shutter.
I would be curious to discover more of Capa's writings regarding his time spent covering other conflicts, namely the Arab-Israeli War and the first Indochina war.
As a successful newspaperman, Capa wrote a number of articles to accompany his pictures.
Although his photos have always retained their cutting edge brilliance, I often wonder if his observations and opinions changed with age, and the nature of these other conflicts. Sadly, Capa died doing what he did best, providing us at home with a glimpse of the emotions and moments of war. Thankfully, his photos will remain eternal.
The Incorrigible Capa.......2003-12-02
Slightly Out of Focus, the autobiography by legendary photographer Robert Capa, chronicles his experiences as a photographer for Collier's and Life magazines during World War II. Capa's adventure takes him from his comfortable bed in New York, across the Atlantic, into the African desert, to the beaches of Normandy and the liberation of Paris, through Germany, and finally to a posh London apartment where his journey ends. The book is a delightful read. Over 100 of Capa's breathtaking and thought provoking photographs are scattered throughout its pages. Slightly Out of Focus is ridiculously easy to read. Capa's conversational style and witty banter result in a story that feels more like your favorite novel, than the biography of a war correspondent. The memoirs span only 232 pages, but fully encompass the blood, sweat, and tears shed during the most gruesome war in American history.
Capa throws no punches when he puts his thoughts and experiences into words. He is gut wrenchingly open, honest, and human about himself and the war that he photographs. He accurately shows the not so glamorous, unromantic side of front-line journalism in stories about being too broke to pay his bills, sleeping in bed-bug infested houses, driving for hours over empty deserts, contracting malaria, bureaucratic red tape, and eventually giving up the woman of his dreams to continue photographing the war. Capa is honest enough to admit to all of this and wrote, "I began to dislike this war. The life of a war correspondent wasn't so romantic."
Capa put his life in danger countless times in the book, each time in the quest for the perfect photo that said everything and each time narrowly escaping death. While in Africa, he accidentally wandered into a mine field and had to wait for hours to be rescued. Later, the division that Capa was traveling with was bombed during the night. Capa described it as, "Next morning, when I woke up, there wasn't any tent over me. The camp had been bombed during the night. The blasts had blown away all the tents, although no one was hurt. I was the object of envy and admiration for having slept through it all without stirring." During his time in Europe, Capa joined in the Normandy invasion and parachuted out of planes. Soon after he began, Capa gave up trying to be an impartial observer and assisted in rescuing and transporting wounded soldiers during some of the fiercest fighting. He slept in fox holes, ate C-rations, and helped bury fallen soldiers.
In Slightly Out of Focus, we learn as much about Capa as we do about the war. He unashamedly allows us a constant view into his psyche. It offers a refreshing and helpful glimpse into the struggles of an embedded journalist. He admits when he is frightened, tired, apathetic, angry, or even happy. He talks often in the book of becoming tired of the sickeningly violent monotony that is war. "They were simple pictures and showed how dreary and unspectacular life fighting actually is. The correspondent's war neurosis was setting in...my pictures were sad and empty as the war, and I didn't feel like sending them to the magazine."
In spite of the inherent death and depression of war, Capa finds the everyday humor in extraordinary experiences. Just when the book seems too intense, he makes a witty remark or points out the weakness in human folly and makes you chuckle. He allows you to take the pill of war down without having to dissipate the cold, hard facts, by giving the reader a spoon full of sugar at the same time.
The love story of Capa and "Pinky" (a.k.a. Elaine Justin) also provides a breakup between intense battles. Capa maintains a lighthearted feel in the book by alternating chapters of fighting and death with chapters of his humorous roller-coaster romance. In the end "Pinky" gives up on Capa because, by covering the war instead of being with her, he finally chose between his two great loves. Capa begins and ends the book with the same line, "There is absolutely no reason to get up in the mornings anymore." The reader understands finally, on the 232nd page, that Capa lives to cover wars. In his mind, being a war correspondent isn't a job, it is a destiny. When he isn't covering a war, he is lost, restless, and aimless.
Slightly Out of Focus is jewel deserving five stars. Capa has effectively created a book that captures the feeling of World War II while making it palatable to the average reader. He educates and entertains. The work is believable and down to earth, revealing a transparency uncommon to most authors, but welcomed by readers. In this work, Capa proves himself to be far more than a great photographer. In the words of Capa's good friend, Pulitzer Prize winner John Hersey, "He has humor. He has a clear idea of what makes a great picture: `it is a cut of the whole event,' he says, `which will show more of the real truth of the affair to someone who was not there than the whole scene.' Above all-and this is what shows in his pictures-Capa, who has spent so much energy on inventions for his own person, has deep human sympathy for men and women trapped in reality."
War stories by the famous Bob Capa........2002-08-12
This is Capa's story of his World War II. Capa was a famous photographer from the Spanish Civil War, who applied his skills in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France. For a photographer, his stories are very good and enjoyable. Like one of the previous reviewer, I have to agree that Capa does not reveal much of himself. If you take his stories, he appears to be an alcoholic and irresponsible. His photos though are world famous.
These stories are great to read and the book is not long. This is good Sunday reading.
Amazing.......2002-04-19
When I think of the founders of Magnum I see larger than life heros that are always in the right place at the right time for the perfect picture. Not only does this book show that Capa is not larger than life, but a very real man, but he also worked very hard to be at the right place at the right time...not to mention he spent much of his life at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Best birthday gift apart from the camera itself.......2001-03-17
Not overridden with anecdotes of war zones and the battlefield, Capa comes across as incredibly human from the observer's perspective during the years of conflict. Sensitive, witty, charming, and driven, he is truly fantastic and remarkable a storyteller with words as he is with a camera.
Average customer rating:
- There is always a "but" ...
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Children of War, Children of Peace
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Pr
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ASIN: 0821217895 |
Customer Reviews:
There is always a "but" ..........2000-04-13
I've bought this book because I thought it was a selection Robert Capa had made himself, but it is a posthumous work, giving an impression of what may be overlooked in other books - the photographs of children Robert Capa has made. So you have a stunning collection, every picture fine and well worth viewing, but, and this is what is for me personally a little bit disappointing, the circumstances of the pictures are somewhat to miss. So take this book if you can get it and take the other books of Robert Capa with it to make the picture a whole one - and because I'm a "fan" I recommend to get every book of Robert Capa - you will see it will fit. It is a piece of the mosaic of Robert Capa's life.
Average customer rating:
- Clear View of China
- A Feast for the Eyes, Mind, and Soul
- Great photo reproduction but disappointing subject focus.
- It takes you to China as you turn the pages!
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CHINA: 50 Years Inside the People's Republic
Rae Yang
Manufacturer: Aperture
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Out of the East: Transition and Tradition in Asia
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Lost China: The Photographs of Leone Nani
ASIN: 0893818623 |
Book Description
Photographs by Robert Capa, Lois Conner, Stuart Franklin, Zhang Hai-er, Wu Jialin, Wang Jinsong, Hiroji Kubota, Sebastião Salgado, Liu Heung Shing, and Others
A stirring tribute to china's land and people, and a lasting vision of the country within.
To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Aperture is publishing Imaging China. This magnificent volume unfolds a series of in-depth portfolios by twenty of the most important Chinese and Western photographers of the era, conveying the extent of their involvement in politics, culture, and everyday life. Together with texts by leading thinkers, writings by the photographers, and selections of ancient and modern poetry, this collection offers profound insight into a country that has been closed to the West for more than half of its existence.
Drawn to China by its dramatic upheavals and its rich cultural legacy, the world's greatest photographers offer thrilling proof of the power of photography to explore-and convey-the human experience. From France's Henri Cartier-Bresson, present at the creation of the Republic in 1949, to China's Liu Heung Shing, who chronicled a society in transition following the death of Mao Tse-tung, to Wu Jialin and Stuart Franklin working today, the image makers represented here have created visions of China as broad and diverse as the country and its society. Imaging China is an extraordinary visual exploration of an extraordinary place and time.
Customer Reviews:
Clear View of China.......2005-02-03
Conner's photographs provide glimpses into China that most images or photographers seem to hurry or miss. The clarity of image, the use of B&W, the huge format camera provide the format of a Chinese painting and somehow, the accumulated images give me an impression of China that is vast, exotic, laden with dust and reality, life and vitality. There is a solemn appreciation for the grand nature of this land.
I have had this book for a couple years now and every month or so I review the pages in this book and find new meaning. Maybe the juxtaposition with other images or my own perceptions changes as well with time? But what I find remarkable is the clarity of thought behind the images. This book provides me with continued enjoyment and I am sure most who are interested in understanding China will enjoy this book as well.
A Feast for the Eyes, Mind, and Soul.......2001-08-16
Imagine if Ansel Adams had been interested in the interaction of nature and people in landscapes rather than the wilderness. Then, imagine that he had traveled widely in China from 1984 to 1999 to capture the country's image, history, and culture. Add a banquet camera and platinum printing using the tritone process. This will begin to give you an idea of what this book contains. I was entranced by these images of what I have not yet seen . . . but now better understand.
Ms. Conner brings several perspectives to her photographs that I found rewarding. First, the horizontal rectangles of the banquet camera remind me of a finely detailed scroll. Immediately, the images bring new understanding to much traditional Chinese art as well as to the impact that landscape has had on Chinese culture. Second, the interaction of people and nature create interesting thoughts for the viewer. Why is human orderliness so much less attractive than the less regular pulses of nature? Third, the people feel like they are in the room with you, providing the basis for potentially having a conversation. What do they think of photography? What do they think of those who will see the photographs? What message would they like to send? What messages have they sent? Fourth, history comes to life with the places. You see the desert boundaries of a dynasty. You see the political stage upon which a government exults in itself. The echoes of foreign domination linger on in other images. So, although these images do not have texts accompanying each one, they carry eloquent messages to both the casual and the careful observer. A helpful foreword by Jonathan Spence, thoughtful essay by Geremie R. Barme, and self-reflective notes by Ms. Conner add to the viewer's understanding of the intriguing, and often breathtaking, scenes.
As in the best photography books, this one uses facing pages well to create contrasts, dialogue, and new thoughts. The quality of the paper and the printing of the images are superb.
Usually, I am moved to pick out a few images for special mention as being the most outstanding. I did not have that reaction to this volume. I felt that almost every image was outstanding. Collectively, they tell a vastly more interesting story than they do individually. In total, there is an impression of China as it has been, is now, and is becoming that are vastly more indelible than the last ten books you could have read about China.
After you finish enjoying this wonderful volume several times, think about where else photographs could add depth of understanding that other ways of characterizing something could not. How can you use photographs to help others understand important lessons in those situations?
Press in all directions to expose new dimensions of reality!
Great photo reproduction but disappointing subject focus........2001-06-16
A black and white photography on China that lacks photos of people.
Up-front, I want to acknowledge that China is immense and probably impossible to capture in one book. I applaud Conners courage to travel by foot, bicycle, bus and train across the provincial provinces of China. Some of her photos lift off the page and wrap the stunning landscape of China around you. Callaway, the Publisher, is known for their superb quality in illustrated books and the reproductions here are excellent.
I acquired this book before I left for China and wanted to review it when I returned. I have been back about a month. What impressed me about China was the masses of people, all 1.3 billion of them. China seemed to be a compendium of human molecules always in motion. Take that, and then blend the contrast between the new modernity of the metropolitan areas and the stark inequality of the poverty of the peasants (over 80% of the population are still farmers), and you have quite a photographic opportunity.
None of this is captured in Lois Conner's book. Of the Tritone photographs over 80% lack people. Conner's photography was shot over a period of 15 years (1984 -1999). In those years over 215,000,000 people were added to the country's population. China, among other things, is about people. The soul of China is found in its people. Smiling faces, running children, friendly shopkeepers, generous strangers and polite professionals were the mental photos I remember of China.
Her photographs capture the space, shapes, shadows and unique landscapes found in this complex country and they do so, well. Perhaps Vicki Goldberg, of the New York Times, said it best, "The results are lovely and can be challenging, though some are just pretty pictures." I want more China. Recommended for the quality and reproduction of the photographs, but not for the subject focus.
It takes you to China as you turn the pages!.......2000-08-02
Wonderful! Having recently travelled to China and seen the still hidden and truelly communist parts of the country I thought that the book did great justice to the country and the people. I felt as if I were back in China as I read further and further into the book! I would recommend reading this book to accent a trip to China. Knowing the history and having a feel for the country before travelling is imperative for a successful journey. ENJOY!
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Photographs
Robert Capa ,
Richard Whelan , and
Cornell Capa
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Capa, Robert
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ASIN: 0571136605 |
Product Description
Sotheby's auction house, New York (02 November 1987). Sale Code: 5627/MACGUFFIN. 429 lot(s). Catalog is in English. Include works by: Abbott, Berenice; Adams, Ansel; American Photographers; Anonymous Photographers; Arbus, Diane; Atget, Eugene; Avedon, Richard; Baldus, Edouard-Denis; Batho, Claude; Bauhaus Photographer; Bayer, Herbert; Beaton, Cecil; Bellmer,; Hans A,; Bellocq, E. J. / Friedlander, Lee; Bernhard, Ruth; Bing, Ilse; Black, James Wallace; Bodine, Aubrey; Boubat, Edouard; Bovis, Marcel; Brady, Matthew; Brancusi, Constantin; Brandt, Bill; Brassai,; Braun, Adolphe; Bravo, Manuel Alvarez; Brigman, Anne; Bruehl, Anton; Bruguiere, Francis; Bullock, John; Callahan, Harry; Camera Work; Cameron, Julia Margaret; Capa, Robert; Caponigro, Paul; Cartier-Bresson, Henri; Castagneri, Mario; Christenberry, William; Citroen, Paul; Clergue, Lucien; Cliff, William; Coburn, Alvin Langdon; Constantin & Cie; Contemporary Photographers; Cunningham, Imogen; Curtis, Edward; De Carava, Roy; Doisneau, Robert; Durieu, Eugéne; Edgerton, Harold; Eggleston, William; Emerson, Peter Henry; Enos, Chris; Eugene, Frank; Evans, Frederick; Evans, Walker; Faurer, Louis; Feininger, Andrews; Fitz, Grancel; Frank, Robert; Funke, Jaromir; Gardner, Alexander; Gauzi, François; Genthe, Arnold; Gershman, Norman; Giacomelli, Mario; Gibson, Ralph; Gowin, Emmet; Greene, Milton Atelier Grill; Groover, Jan; Guibert, Maurice; Gutch, John Wheeley Gough; Hagemeyer, Johan; Halsmann, Philippe; Havinden, John; Haviland, Paul; Hill, David Octavius and Adamson, Robert; Hillers, J. R.; Hine, Lewis; Hockney, David; Hoppe, William; Horst, Horst P.; Hurrell, George; Jackson, William Henry; Jennings, J. Payne; Karsh, Yousuf; Kasebier, Gertrude; Keiley, Joseph; Kellogg, A. L.; Kertesz, André; Kira, Hiromu; Klein, William; Krims, Les; Kuhr, Fritz; Lange, Dorothea and more. Auction catalogs are valuable reference tool for pricing and identifying works of art and collectibles.
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