Photography - History, Criticism, & Collections

The body

Name: The body
Author: William A. Ewing
ISBN: 9780811807623

by William A. Ewing

Write a review

Overview

The sensual curve of the shoulder, the disturbing line of a scar, the magnetic pull of a lashed eye -- since the birth of photography, images of the human body have attracted, disturbed, fascinated, and obsessed us. The body has been scrutinized by medical and anatomical photographers; it has been celebrated by photographers of sport and dance; it has inspired a long tradition of photographing the nude; and it has been depicted in phantasmagoric terms. In this rich, involving archive of over 360 duotone and color images culled from worldwide collections, renowned photo curator William A. Ewing has compiled the most comprehensive and arresting visual survey ever published of the human form. From nineteenth-century erotica to the politicized images of the 1990s, The Body offers an exciting, elegantly packaged, provocative record of the camera's infatuation with the human figure.

From 19th-century erotica to the publicized images of the 1990s, photo curator Ewing offers a rich, involving archive of images culled from worldwide collections that presents an exciting, provocative record of the camera's infatuation with the human figure. Over 360 duotone and color photos.

About the Author, William A. Ewing

William A. Ewing is a wellknown writer on the art of photography and an independent curator whose exhibitions have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and many other museums and galleries. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Library Journal

Ewing here presents a wide sampling of images of the human body under a dozen chapters with titles like "Eros," "Estrangement," and "Politic." If the organization follows a somewhat abstract scheme, the photographs themselves are powerful and direct. Included here are images of a single sperm fertilizing an egg, fetuses at various stages, a macrophotograph of an iris, and more titillating, fantastical, clinical, and even prurient images. There are also images by well-known photographers whose work has defined the photography of the nude, e.g., Weston, Cunningham, Bernard, Mann, and Gowin. Juxtaposing some of the 19th-century images with late 20th-century images suggests that there is nothing new to be accomplished in this genre. Indeed, several Eastern European and Japanese photographers contribute manipulated and dramatically staged photos suggesting that we may have exhausted straightforward approaches altogether. Informative and provocative essays complement the outstanding reproductions. Recommended for photohistory and photography collections.-Kathleen Collins, New York Transit Museum Archives, Brooklyn