Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Andrei Tarkovsky, Instant Light

Andrei Tarkovsky
An elegiac collection of sixty Polaroid photographs by the late Soviet film director Andrei Tarkovsky.

"Tarkovsky often reflected on the way that time flies and wanted to stop it, even with these quick Polaroid shots. The melancholy of seeing things for the last time is the highly mysterious and poetic essence that these images leave with us. It is as though Andrei wanted to transmit his own enjoyment quickly to others. And they feel like a fond farewell."—Tonino Guerra, from the Introduction

This beautifully produced book comprises sixty Polaroid photographs of Andrei Tarkovsky's friends and family, taken between 1979 and 1984 in his native Russia and in Italy, where he spent time in political exile.The size of the Polaroids is exactly as presented in the book, including the frame. The book may therefore be viewed as a facsimile edition. 60 color illustrations.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Joyce Tenneson, Intimacy

Joyce Tenneson
With over 60 beautiful color plates, this gorgeous book of flower photographs is bound to appeal to a wide audience of anyone interested in Nature, Beauty, Meditation or Art. Tenneson explores the world of botanicals in a way that is completely unique. These photographs transcend mere documentation; they encourage the viewer to see flowers in a whole new way.

Joyce Tenneson's breathtaking photographs have graced the covers of major magazines, as well as museums and galleries. Her ethereal portraits of roses, tulips, poppies and other garden blooms also come accompanied by select quotes from authors such as Emily Dickinson, William Carlos Williams, and Anais Nin.

Tenneson focuses her eye and lens on the most fragile parts of flowers, irresistibly bringing us into the stamens and pistils at the core of creation. There is something very sensual to her work: she lets the flowers inner workings speak eloquently for themselves, and the magic of the life cycle.

Jeff Wall, Peter Galassi

Jeff Wall
Over the past three decades, Vancouver artist Jeff Wall's large color transparencies have won international acclaim. Wall has created a unique, seductive and complex pictorial universe by drawing upon philosophy, literature, nineteenth-century painting, Neo-Realist cinema and the traditions of both Conceptual art and documentary photography. Organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Wall's 2007 American traveling retrospective will include all of the artist's major works to date. In addition to color plates and illuminating details, the exhibition catalogue includes an essay by Peter Galassi that explores the full range of Wall's artistic and intellectual interests and offers fresh perspectives on one of the most adventurous creative achievements of our time. The essay is followed by an interview with the artist by James Rondeau, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the exhibition will be on view during the Summer of 2007. Also available from The Museum of Modern Art, New York: Jeff Wall: Selected Essays and Interviews.