Chaos [Hardcover]

Josef Koudelka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1999

For the past 12 years, Koudelka has made photographs using a panoramic format camera, exploring its formal possibilities with rigour and originality, and "Chaos" is the fulfilment of Koudelka's panoramic vision. "Paradoxically, the images in "Chaos" viciously expose the anarchy which man imposes on nature and on himself" writes Robert Delpire in his foreword, "beyond all controversy, they denounce the absurdity of a world turned into a scene of dereliction. Josef Koudelka recreates a dream space, an elsewhere beyond time, beyond location, within which he organizes the shapeless and the chaotic". "Chaos" is dramatic, provocative and beautiful. Koudelka's next publishing landmark, it will have a powerful impact within the art and photography world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Published to coincide with an exhibition of Josef Koudelka's work, this volume presents the photographs he has taken using a panoramic format camera over a 12 year period.

About the Author

Josef Koudelka was born in Moravia, Czechoslovakia in 1938. He sprang to fame for his photographs of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, finding asylum in Wales in 1970. Moving later to a small room in the attic of Magnum's Paris office, and becoming a member of Magnum, he has declined all the opportunities for commercial success to live as a nomadic traveller. He wandered with the gypsies throughout East Europe for years to produce Gypsies in 1975, (regarded by many as one of the greatest photography books of the last 50 years). This was followed up with another important work, Exiles, in 1986 establishing firmly his reputation as "the most potent and powerful photographer alive today" (The Times, London). Cornell Capa, founder of the International Center of Photography, sums up the career and approach of Koudelka: "His unsentimental, stark, brooding imagery reflects his spirit, the very essence of an exile who is at home wherever his wandering body finds haven in the night..." Koudelka's many one man shows include exhibitions at MOMA New York and the Hayward Gallery, London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; First English Language Edition edition (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714839000
• ISBN-13: 978-0714839004
• Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 11.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,907,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different . . . heart-stopping, December 16, 1999

By 

Margot Otway (Menlo Park, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaos (Hardcover)

I like Koudelka's work very much. I saw this new book listed here in Amazon, but who wants to buy a photography book without looking at it? Even if you trust the photographer, what if the reproduction's no good? So I found it in a bookstore and looked. It's more abstract than his earlier work. There are few people; there are roads, rubbly sidwalks, a broken concrete statue of Lenin on a barge. The cropping and grouping of the images are intense and strange. It is awesomely beautiful. The reproduction is fine by me. If you like Koudelka and you buy this book, I think you will be very glad you did. If you don't know Koudelka, you might want to find the book and look.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars homage to JK, August 8, 2003

By 

James F Leisy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaos (Hardcover)

JK is a street photographer who transcends the boundaries. Eye of the artist and soul of the novelist. This book represents the closest thing to recent work. Unfortunately he has withdrawn his photographs from circulation. He is concentrating on photographing and not doing any printing.
The large format is perfect for these panoramic images. A statue of Lenin on a barge is my favorite pic. Worth the price of the book. However, there are many others to fall in love with.

5.0 out of 5 stars out of balance, February 28, 2009

By 

Mr Cesar Harada "Eager Student" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaos (Hardcover)

I consider this book a masterpiece. It is a large format book, hardcover, I travelled a long way home, carrying it with great care in an extra bag. Now I am a nomad and I have no more books with me, especially this one, is huge, i wish I could flip through the pages sometimes... It has a lot of amazing pictures, breathtaking, powerfull compositions, dynamic and out of balance, the contrast are clear yet subtle, I was totally overwhelmed when I first saw it. I recommend this book very much, I am not a photographer myself, I dont much of the detail, but it is a very special experience.