The Illuminating Mind in American Photography:: Stieglitz, Strand, Weston, Adams [Hardcover]

David P. Peeler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2001

The Illuminating Mind looks at the ideas, images and lives of four major twentieth century American photographers: Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), Paul Strand (1890-1976), Edward Weston (1886-1958) and Ansel Adams (1902-1984). Largely because of their efforts, Americans came to accept photography as a fine art. This book examines the lives of these four photographers within the context of their times, sketching not only their contributions to American modernism, but also their struggles with epistemological and representational questions that echoed throughout American culture. They were all interested in the relationships between the artist and his subject, the knower and the known, the mind and its objects. For them, photography was not passive transcription of the outer world; instead, it is an exploratory process in which the artist interogates and probes that world. Thus they regarded photography as a creative art in which the mind illuminates its subjects, and they believed that a photograph is constituted as much by the artist's contributions as by the subject's trace. Drawing upon rarely used archival manuscripts and forgotten publication, The Illuminating Mind uses a biographical perspective to reveal these artists' unrecognized psychological intricacies, as well as the interrelationships of their creative lives and expressive themes. David Peeler is in the Department of History, United States Naval Academy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Peeler is a fine writer, one who knows how to balance analysis with anecdote. Readers end up knowing the men and their work...Peeler pays homage to each photographer's great accomplishments and reveals the essence of their art. CHOICEPeeler's work deserves a place alongside the best historical studies in photography. He balances substantial archival research with thought-provoking image analysis, and he does it all without drowning us in a sea of jargon. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORYThe Illuminating Mind is an impressive study...that other scholars will find tempting to cite and draw from in the future. HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY Vol 27 No 1 Spring 2003

Language Notes

Text: English, German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: University of Rochester Press (July 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580460593
• ISBN-13: 978-1580460590
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,059,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating Mind in American Photography, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Illuminating Mind in American Photography:: Stieglitz, Strand, Weston, Adams (Hardcover)

I attended the seminar for this book before publishing and it is all that is has promised to be. Amazing photographs, plus an indepth look at each photographer's life as well as why the individuals took the pictures they did. Wow!