The Sadness of Men

In this fifty-year retrospective, and first published collection, his inimitable vision is brought to the public. With a gift for capturing moments of heartbreaking honesty and unparalleled beauty, he presents a world on the brink of transcendence. Taken in the most humble circumstances—snapped from the driver's seat or taken at home—these images are so much more than the sum of their parts. The electric fury of barking dogs in the streets of Mexico, the white stillness of Israel,
and the silence of a sleeping mother, carry within them complexities of gray, of raw emotion and metaphor. These images are the gift of a master observer with an eye tuned to the almost imperceptible miracles of everyday life. They are not one-line gags or jaded images of the poor or suffering, rather they are evocative explorations of the lovely sadness of life and the wild, sweet rhythms of the world.

Philip Perkis is one of the most widely respected American photographers, yet his work is little known outside of professional circles.

Ronald S. Russ - Library Journal

This is a 50-year retrospective of the work of American photographer Perkis, who is professor emeritus at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, as well as the author of Teaching Photography, Notes Assembled. Cataloging some 125 black-and-white photographs in a variety of locales, including Turkey, Mexico, New York City, and upstate New York, the book also comprises several short essays and an interview with the author. In addition, it is tied into an exhibit showing this spring at the Alan Klotz Gallery in New York City. It is difficult to generalize about the subject matter of the photographs, since it is so varied (e.g., farm landscapes, the bustling of the inner city, and people in their environments) and covers such a long time period. While there are other books available that have photographs by Perkis, they are not as comprehensive or as recent as this one. Recommended for academic and public collections where photography is studied.

Philip Perkis has taught photography for more than forty years, and is Professor Emeritus at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He is author of Teaching Photography, Notes Assembled and his prints are included in numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Max Kozloff is a prolific writer and art critic. He is the author of several books, including Lone Visions, Crowded Frames: Essays on Photography.