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Title: Mary Ellen Mark : American Odyssey, 1963-1999 by Mary Ellen Mark, Maya Angelou ISBN: 0-89381-880-1 Publisher: Aperture Pub. Date: 31 October, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A good introduction to an amazing photographic eye
Comment: I read about the Phaidon 55S series in Popular Photography and thought I would check out the volume on Mary Ellen Mark. I have been drawn to her photographs for years and had recently seen an exhibition of her work in NYC. She has Walker Evan's gift for capturing moments in people's lives and she finds the life beyond the smile or grimace of the subject.Her subjects are lively and a bit wicked at times, but there is supreme truth in her photographs. This series gets its title from the fact that each book has 55 photos by the subject. The price is excellent for someone who wants to collect some great art for a low price. Great introduction to a talented artist....highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: Respecting the Humanity of All
Comment: Summary: These black-and-white images are produced on wonderful paper and with great quality. They explore the underlying human qualities we all share. The work is introduced by a Maya Angelou poem, and is concluded by an excellent essay in which Ms. Mark explains her work. Her subjects are mostly people of the economic and social underclasses as they pursue their hopes and dreams, while dealing with their day-to-day problems. Viewing these photographs will draw you closer to people who, on the surface, are quite different from you. The models are often captured over time and in alternative settings to help explain their lives and personalities.
Content Caution: The images in this book contain a few involving minor female nudity that would earn its contents an R rating if it were a motion picture.
Review:
"I note the obvious differences
in the human family."
" . . . but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike." -- Maya Angelou
The theme of this poem nicely captures the focus of this book of loving photographic images. As Ms. Mark says, "I much prefer to photograph people I care about." She wants to "build a rapport with my subjects." In studying them, "I am guided by what moves and surprises me." That final element will affect you as well. Too often, we mentally pass by those around us. Ms. Mark's images make us want to reach out with our hearts and minds.
The book shows people from all parts of America over the period from 1963 through 1999. The photographs portray all kinds of races, creeds, colors, and political and sexual persuasions. Ideas that you may not like are portrayed involving people you will probably find appealing. That juxtaposition of people and issues will cause you to rethink how you relate to others. It will probably make you more modest and humble, and that's good. Special themes involve the mentally ill, twins, homelessness, beauty contests, political rallies, and families over time.
My favorite images in the book are as follows:
Santa Claus at Lunch, New York City, 1963;
Marky Mark concert, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1993;
Hot Tub, West Orange, New Jersey, 1999;
Bodybuilder, Daytona Beach, Florida, 1991;
Russell, Kansas, 1986;
Mary Frances in the tub, Ward 81, Salem, Oregon, 1976;
Jail, Houston, Texas, 1977;
Husband and wife, Harland County, Kentucky, 1971;
Jesse Damm, Llano, California, 1994;
Hurstie Laxton after the flood, St. Louis, Missouri, 1993;
Million Youth March, New York City, 1998;
Lakiesha, South Dallas, Texas, 1988;
Clinton Albright and his father, Santa Clarita, California, 1982;
Nightclub off of Highway 61, Michigan, 1991;
Vashira and Tashira Hargrove, twins, H.E.L.P. Shelter, Suffolk, New York, 1993; and
Tiny, pregnant, Seattle, Washington, 1985.
After you see these photographs, you will probably agree with Ms. Mark that she has been on "a long and blessed journey" that has opened her heart and ours.
Seeing these photographs should encourage you to become acquainted with people you see who you would normally not think to speak to. Try living that way for a day. If you enjoy the experience, keep on going -- taking it . . . one day at a time.
Find the common ground . . . wherever you go!
Rating: 5
Summary: A Glimpse at the Soul
Comment: I was fortunate enough to see the exhibition of these photographs at the International Center of Photography a few days ago. If you can, go to see the show before it closes. If you can't, buy this book and get a glimpse at the power of a photograph.
Though no expert, I enjoy the art of photography. I am particularly interested in portraits of real people. Mary Ellen Mark has the ability to capture people with extra-ordinary depth and feeling. Almost without fail, her images are moving. With a skill beyond the normal artist, however, her images have the ability to be thought-provoking.
Consider a photo labelled "Aryan Nations, Hayden Lake, Idaho, 1986." Three pleasant-looking, smiling women--the cherubic face of the woman on the far right particularly draws the eye--set in counterpoint to their white supremacist garb. Or consider the series of photographs of Tiny who has clearly experienced many things in her life but who face, amazingly, holds the same soul in each image. Or consider the contrast between the photographs of Julie d'Aquili and Cynthia Galves despite their similar poses. Julie is a healthy young woman but her somber expression stands out starkly against the cancer-ridden Cynthia who still manages a smile.
I believe that I could write something about every single photograph in this collection. Let me instead just say that these photographs will grip you and hold your attention for hours. You will come back to them again and again. And, unlike reproductions of paintings in a book, photographs do not suffer from the process nearly as much. I would encourage anyone with an interest in photography to take a look at this book.
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Title: Nan Goldin by Guido Costa ISBN: 0714840734 Publisher: Phaidon Press Inc. Pub. Date: 05 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Diane Arbus : An Aperture Monograph-- Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition by Diane Arbus, Doon Arbus, Marvin Israel ISBN: 0893816949 Publisher: Aperture Pub. Date: 30 March, 1997 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Diane Arbus Revelations by DOON ARBUS ISBN: 0375506209 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $100.00 |
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Title: The Americans by Robert Frank, Jack Kerouac ISBN: 3931141802 Publisher: Scalo Verlag Ac Pub. Date: May, 1998 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Dorothea Lange by Mark Durden, Dorothea Lange ISBN: 071484053X Publisher: Phaidon Press Inc. Pub. Date: 05 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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