Crisis of the Real: Writings on Photography, 1974-1989 (Writers and Artists on Photography) - Softcover

Every one of the 50 essays in this popular-minded collection raises the issue of postmodernism--how it is defined, why it is relevant for our looking at photographs. In most instances, Grundberg concludes, outside the context of critical discourse, postmodernist theory is irrelevant; photography itself remains a wholly modernist art form. Thus, such modernist luminaries as Walker Evans and Robert Frank hold the most fascination for Grundberg, and he attributes many of the tactics of contemporary photographers--Nan Goldin's psychodrama of the "disaffected" or Lee Friedlander's humanist satire--to their influence. The tension between photography's inherent surreal quality, its ability to freeze time, and the perceptual sophistication we bring to viewing it, mediated for instance by television, disposes us to nostalgia while releasing a desire for imagery unknown, unheard-of, unseen. For Grundberg, this modernist dilemma has yet to be resolved by even the most postmodern of photography. Most of these essays have appeared in the New York Times, for which Grundberg is a photography critic, and other publications.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grundberg, photography critic for the New York Times and author of Andy Grundberg's Goof-Proof Photography ( LJ 10/15/89), has gathered a selection of his writings on photography of the last two decades, some of which are previously unpublished. Each of six sections is introduced by an overview of a particular facet of contemporary photography, such as modernism or postmodernism. Grundberg is at his best when juggling complex concepts viewed through specific artists' works. For the specialized reader, some of the essays are a bit thin--particularly the pieces on Robert Frank and the Starn Twins--yet, overall, this is a fine introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of "new" photography and photographers such as Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, and Nicholas Nixon. Important for academic collections while accessible and valuable for public libraries.
- Kathy J. Anderson, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.