The eight essays in Beauty in Photography provide a critical appreciation of photography by one of its foremost proponents. The result is a rare book of criticism, alive to the pleasure and mysteries of true exploration.
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"For Adams, art is not some timid diversion or self indulgent entertainment, but goes to the heart of who we are as civilized, compassionate human beings."--Jacob Stockinger, The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin
"Eight eloquent and thought-provoking essays."--Chris Keledjian, Artweek
"The sort of collection of essays to which one can return repeatedly."--Michael Edelson, Camera 35
"Eight eloquent and thought-provoking essays."--Chris Keledjian, Artweek
"The sort of collection of essays to which one can return repeatedly."--Michael Edelson, Camera 35
About the Author
Robert Adams worked for eight years as a college English teacher before becoming a photographer. His pictures, most of which record the development of the American West, have been widely collected, exhibited, and reproduced. Adams has been awarded the Spectrum International Prize for Photography as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations.
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Robert Adams, born in 1937, came to prominence as part of the photographic movement known as New Topographics. His work has been widely exhibited both in Europe and the United States. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Spectrum International Prize for Photography, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Pen Name
Format:Paperback
For me, there are two key assertions in Robert Adams' "Beauty in Photography". First, that we "live in discouraging hours of society's apparent decay" (p. 88). Second, that the purpose of art is to "help us meet our worst fear, the suspicion that life may be chaos and that therefore our suffering is without meaning" (p. 25).
From these two assertions Adams develops his interpretation of photography: Photography detects, extracts and emphasizes the beauty around us, and by doing so it points toward something deeper in the world, an organizing power, a coherence supporting the world and our lifes. To Adams, photography is a spiritual exercise, making bearable an otherwise decaying sourrounding.
Art not concerned with depicting the world beautifully is, to Adams, mere "decoration". Thus, Adams tells us little interesting about most modern art, and his approach does not generalize, for instance, to music. That beauty can exist as such, that it can tell us something about ourselves even without refering to things in the world: This does not seem to be Adams experience.
In these very conservative views I disagree with Adams. Still, I recommend his essays to anyone who wants to understand why some photography is moving us while other is not. Even if Adams is not telling the whole story -probably nobody will- he is an excellent writer who talks about art in a clear and understandable way.
The only disappointment with the book was the poor reproduction quality of the images depicted. As a publisher specializing in photography books Aperture could do better.
From these two assertions Adams develops his interpretation of photography: Photography detects, extracts and emphasizes the beauty around us, and by doing so it points toward something deeper in the world, an organizing power, a coherence supporting the world and our lifes. To Adams, photography is a spiritual exercise, making bearable an otherwise decaying sourrounding.
Art not concerned with depicting the world beautifully is, to Adams, mere "decoration". Thus, Adams tells us little interesting about most modern art, and his approach does not generalize, for instance, to music. That beauty can exist as such, that it can tell us something about ourselves even without refering to things in the world: This does not seem to be Adams experience.
In these very conservative views I disagree with Adams. Still, I recommend his essays to anyone who wants to understand why some photography is moving us while other is not. Even if Adams is not telling the whole story -probably nobody will- he is an excellent writer who talks about art in a clear and understandable way.
The only disappointment with the book was the poor reproduction quality of the images depicted. As a publisher specializing in photography books Aperture could do better.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By L. Chan
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found that various topics Adams discussed in his book, for instance, "What is beauty?", "How do you make art new?", "Can you photograph evil?", insightful and highly relevant even though it was written in the age of film. I read his essays again and again when I want to reflect on my photography.
If I had to quote, this would be one that I love most:
"Most of the pictures (in mass circulation photography magazines) suggest embarrassing strain: odd angles, extreme lenses, and eccentric darkroom techniques reveal a struggle to substitute shock and technology for sight." -Robert Adams
That is so relevant in the age of digital photography.
If I had to quote, this would be one that I love most:
"Most of the pictures (in mass circulation photography magazines) suggest embarrassing strain: odd angles, extreme lenses, and eccentric darkroom techniques reveal a struggle to substitute shock and technology for sight." -Robert Adams
That is so relevant in the age of digital photography.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is really a book-let, something of a size common in old European Schools. The views expressed are honest but conservative, and overall its clear that the author lives in a somewhat "safe" academic environment and likes to resort to the standard referral method of using other photographers as setters of standards or at least, a base of reference. But, he does it knowingly and cracks at least one joke about it. It makes a very good read, and I worked my way through it in less than an hour. I would place it in a category perhaps of a "Zen of Photography" reading. For those photographers who are full of themselves this booklet will do no good. For those who perhaps, like to go on photographic quests, and thusly often question what they are doing, this book is a good read. The images shown are small and just act to prop up the essays, so they don't need to be supreme works of the printing art.
A good buy for the student and the expert alike.
A good buy for the student and the expert alike.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Robt. Adams, English Professor
I have always thought of Adams as one of the most expressive writers on the aesthetics of photography. Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. Klatt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
The beauty of the essays reinstates that each and every frame/image has its own value. It gives the warmth and feeling while reading the essays. Read more
Published on August 22, 2010 by Suvendu Chatterjee
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read
A great read for anyone who is more than interested in photography. For those who have given this low reviews, I recommend reading this book, and then read it again and again and... Read more
Published on April 28, 2009 by M. Dallos
5.0 out of 5 stars
A True Gem
This slender volume is my favorite among the many books I have read on photography - a subject about which I have found it frustratingly hard to find good, clear writing. Read more
Published on November 7, 2008 by Ikasumi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Like Adams' "Why People Photograph" this series of essays is deeply insightful. Beyond Aesthetics as a philosophical discipline it is a deeply moving -trenchant, poetic-analysis... Read more
Published on October 30, 2008 by Richard J. Matson
1.0 out of 5 stars
I Didn't Get It
In an essay in this little book, entitled "Civilizing Criticism", Robert Adams cites Henry James as asking of a work of art "What is the artist trying to do? Does he do it? Read more
Published on July 13, 2007 by Conrad J. Obregon
5.0 out of 5 stars
a MUST READ for serious photographers!
This is an important collection of essays for the serious photographer and for anyone interested in the art of photography. Read more
Published on August 25, 1998 by michaelparker1@hotmail.com
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