Customer Reviews

A Notebook at Random

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This is unusual because it has virtually no written text. Thus, it is not for those who don't know Irving Penn, unless they are adventurous students of photography. This is evidently a collection of random works which together form a map of Penn's artistic mind. It is like a conversation with him about some of his work.
It contains sketches and photographs presented un-pretentiously, one on a page. Each one is a key or entry point into Penn's work and a hinge between him and the world of art and culture of his time. If you are not fresh off the turnip truck this is a book that may take a year to read as you think about each image and the infinite connections it has. If you are serious about photography and don't know Penn and his influence, this book will last you a lifetime as you study his sketch of the tree of those who influenced him. Any of his contemporaries mentioned on the tree could easily have erased his own name and put Irving Penn in his place, I think.
My favorites are his messing with his portrait of John Marin, his unusual portrait of Barnett Newman, and other sketches and scribblings on or about some of his familiar work. I was struck by his photographs of the street, and some other subjects few of us have ever seen. This book is revealing in much the same way as Earthly Bodies.
If you just like great photographs, this is a thought provoking, warm and modest tribute to one of the architects of the medium. If you are an artist and can't imagine being 87 and able to produce a random notebook this rich, you have a lot of work to do.

Irving Penn is a wonderful photographer and this book is a unique opportunity for any serious student of photography (or Pro) to peak over the shoulder of a master. Penn's technical ability and sense of composition has always placed him in a unique position whether for Vogue magazine, Gianni Versace ads, or personal work. Unlike his other photo books "A Notebook at Random" addresses the ideas behind the images by showing the minimal notes and insightful line drawings that were the blue prints for some of his images. Thanks Mr. Penn for being so generous.

We often do not get the chance to view the notes, sketches, and thoughts that an artist goes through along side with the final piece, with this book that is what you are getting. This is not a book that biographies' the life and works of Irving Penn chronologically. Instead the book is fashioned in a random order, which gives us an insight into the inner workings of Irving Penn as a person.

Some of the highlights of this book are the amount of photographs which have never before been published or seen by the public, along with many of his signature pieces throughout his career. This book truly gives us a better understanding into the raw endowment, originality, and involvement as a photographic engineer and a daring artist.

As a long-time admirer of Irving Penn, I thought this would be yet another look at the many images from past books. However, I found photos and drawings from the brilliant Mr. Penn that I had not seen before. The
creative mind of the man once again amazed me and I am glad to add this book to my several by Irving Penn.
I was also impressed by the quality of the book. The cloth binding, the heavy paper and fine printing attest to
the man's quality production.

Amazing images. Great quality. A little bit of everything; from portraits, still lifes and fashion photographs to Penn's drawings...Thou I prefer books with more specific theme. Not my favourite of Irving Penn's books, but still, just by having his pictures is great.