Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson [Hardcover]

Rick Moody (Author), Gregory Crewdson (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

Crewdson's most recent series of photographs, Twilight, are created as elaborately constructed film stills, catching the mysterious moment of time between before and after, revealing unknowable or unimaginable aspects of domestic reality. A cow lies on its back on the lawn between two houses while firemen secure the area and a man searches the sky. Could the cow have rained down from above? In another image stacks and stacks of inedible slices of bread - bearing an odd resemblance to the mysterious monoliths at Stonehenge - are watched over by a gathering of birds. Both entirely foreign and oddly familiar, these images are carefully orchestrated events that challenge our very notions of familiarity, undermining our sense of certainty. These eerie and evocative photographs pair beauty with horror, obsession with disgust, and the real with the surreal, suggesting narratives open to endless interpretations. The book includes an essay written by fiction writer Rick Moody. The book and exhibitions are comprised of the forty images from his Twilight series which was begun in 1998 - these exhibitions and this book chronicle the completion of the series and mark the first time it will be seen in its entirety.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Twilight, that indistinct time between day and night, is an appropriate title for the latest and most substantial monograph by photographer Crewdson (after 1999's Dream of Life and 1998's Hover). Continuing his tradition of photographing cinematically staged and darkened realities of suburban life, Crewdson presents characters who exist in a world where American Beauty meets The X-Files. This volume's 40 images, which were inspired by Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, were created much like a feature film; the production crew included lighting supervisors, pyrotechnic experts, interior designers, and bug wranglers. Crewdson's fabricated realities contradict the traditional photographic adage of the "decisive moment." In using this method, he demonstrates that the camera can do much more than capture a moment in time, thus placing this work in the vanguard of contemporary art photography. The book begins with an essay by novelist Moody and ends with production stills and credits. Recommended for all public and academic collections. Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ. Lib., PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rick Moody is the author of numerous novels and collections of short stories, including Demonology, Purple America, and The Ice Storm. His work has been published in The New Yorker, Esquire, and Harper's, among other publications. He lives on Fishers Island, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; First Edition edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810910039
• ISBN-13: 978-0810910034
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 11.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
  • #59 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photo Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, May 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson (Hardcover)

Crewdson uses elements of documentary photography and cinema to give authority and narrative to intricately and flawlessly constructed, amazingly artificial scenes. To criticize these photographs for being "forced" or lacking sincerity is like criticising a race car driver for driving too fast. The amount of effort and detail that went into constructing these realities is the entire point of this book. A photograph doesn't have to refer to something that is "real" in order to be valuable, compelling, and beautiful in its own right. This is an excellent, highly recomended book.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating photos and read, June 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson (Hardcover)

This book is an incredible documentation of community-based art. The artist, Gregory Crewdson, worked over years to unite a small town in the hills of Massachusetts to create art.
It's inspiring to find out that the people of the town (Lee) not only donate their houses for photo shoots, but they also block off streets and are subjects of the photographs.
The photos in the book are accompanied by text written by Rick Moody. The text is interesting, touching on the psychological forces compelling Crewdson to create art--but the real treat is in the photographs themselves.
The work is produced far away from the mainstream art world of Chelsea, yet it has made a great impression there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wolves, school buses, pregnant women, and flowers, October 22, 2006

By 

Fishy Dreams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson (Hardcover)

These photos are 'quiet' but intriguing. The lightings in these photos are amazing. Sometimes it is hard to believe that these are photos and not drawings.

I personally like photos/movies shot under low budget -- and these settings were certainly not cheap -- but if you don't mind that, this is good book to have.