PHO150 Digital Photography: Brassaï

Best known for Paris De Nuit and Paris Secret, Brassai was nicknamed the Eye of Paris by Henry Miller. Anne Wilkes Tucker presents both well-known and rarely seen photographs, as well as drawings and sculptures by French photographer Brassai.

This book offers the first detailed analysis of how the Surrealists utilized the tactics of documentary and how Surrealist ideas in turn influenced the development of documentary photography. The last two decades have seen the re-emergence of Surrealist photography, but with an emphasis on work made in the studio or the darkroom. This, however, is a study of what Louis Aragon called 'surrealist realism': the exploration of a real-life surreality encountered on the streets of the city. This book throws new light on Surrealism, emphasizing its connections with the everyday life of the city.

This highly luxurious publication presents the sculptures of Picasso photographed by Brassaï, one of the most important photographers of the twentieth century. Brassaï met Picasso in 1932 when he was commissioned to take a series of pictures of the artist's studio and of some plaster sculptures done at Boisgeloup for the review Minotaure. Several years later he was again contacted to photograph Picasso's work for the first book published on the subject of the artist's sculptures. Hence, between 1932 and 1946, Brassaï photographed all of Picasso's sculpted works. This long-term working relationship led to a fruitful exchange between the two artists on the respective nature of photography and sculpture, which is reflected in this volume. The Sculptures of Picasso is an atypical vision of lesser known works by Picasso. Indeed, the medium used to depict the sculptures is nearly as unsettling as the objects themselves, and the confusion is emphasized by the contrast between flatness and fullness.

In this book, the authors explore and discuss the development of one of the most interesting and dynamic of photographic genres. Hailed as a landmark work when it was first published in 1994, Bystander is widely regarded by street photographers as the "bible" of street photography.

Includes short essays on the photographers (Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Brassai, Laura Gilpin, Man Ray, Josef Sudek, Edward Weston, and others) accompanied by one of their photos.

Novices and experts alike will gain a deeper understanding of great photographers and their work, as Jeffrey decodes key images and provides essential biographical and historical background. Profiles of more than 100 major photographers, including Alfred Stieglitz, Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, highlight particular examples of styles and movements throughout the history of the medium. Each entry includes a concise biography along with an illuminating discussion of key works and nuggets of contextual information.