Customer Reviews

The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In photography blogs you will find endless debates about the nature of photography. Should the goal be perfection of technique in representation of "reality", should it be communication of emotion, should it be considered an art form? Here is a book that navigates through the history of photography with an emphasis on abstraction, both as a necessary component of all photo images and as a specific topic in the realm of art. The chapters each examine a period of photographic history, setting forth details of work by prominent photographers and how they grapple with and change the nature of photography. Bits of art history and social history provide context. Small images and brief quotations enhance the text pages. Best of all, each section is followed by a set of large color plates (excellent reproductions in keeping the Aperture's publishing history). We have the chance to enjoy multiple prints from each of more than 40 photographers. These images alone are well worth the price of the book, while the rest of the content rivals what you can learn from many college courses. Much to think about, and a fair amount of indirect inspiration. Highly recommended.

It is a little heavy on the "art critic speak" as some other reviewers have said.
But the choice of pix is great and the text was enough to get me going.
Overall it inspired my own photography in the direction of adding abstraction to the mix when the spirit is right.
This book succeeds because it avoids using art critic bull to try to sell you a load of crap art.
I'm not saying I liked every print in here but it avoids being one endless stream of Andy Warhol-esque "here I pissed on the canvas now you explain how it is art."

I found the text and illustrations extremely interesting, although the text may sometimes be abstruse. Having to use one's brain, or a dictionary, from time to time is not a bad thing. An interest in the subject of abstract photography, or in the author's words, "undisclosed photography", "a vision of things that have not yet been seen", certainly makes the effort worthwhile. Could the same points have been made more simply? Yes. That would not have been a bad thing either.

Writing this review, I find that I want to read the book again and spend more time with its images. The book offers a fresh approach to the history of photography, one that I think is important as art photography meets the digital age.

As an artist who flirts with abstraction and an educator who tries to open up a discussion with students on the nature of abstraction and representational images in photography, I ate this book up.

I loved Lyle Rexer's Photography's Antiquarian Avant-garde and I love this book, not just for the collected images but the writing.

Thank you Mr. Rexer for a new resource.

I was so looking forward to receiving this book and am so disappointed with it. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is due to the large photos at the end.

Perhaps I misread the description of this book? Nowhere do I remember reading that this was written in the form of a Masters in Photography Thesis paper. Academic. Dry. Full of obscure references, footnotes, and run-on sentences. I read the book. Cover to cover. It was an exhausting trudge and I looked forward to the end of each chapter as that brought me closer to the end of the book.

Photography is Art. The manipulation of light and, especially with Abstract Photography, the manipulation of what we as human perceive to be reality. This book reduced that exploration into a boring academic exercise.

If you're interested in learning about and creating abstract photography, this is NOT the book to buy. However, if you're interested in a dry, purely academic report with more obscure references than a Dennis Miller routine, then you might look for a used copy here on Amazon. I know my copy will be for sale.

Interesting choice of photographs, but I have no idea of what the text actually means.