Between the Eyes FROM THE PUBLISHER
In Between the Eyes, David Levi Strauss examines subjects ranging from "Photography and Propaganda" to the ephemeral imagery of dreams; from Sebastiao Salgado's epic social documents to the profoundly personal photographic revelations of Francesca Woodman. In "A Ferocious Philosophy," Walt Whitman, George Eastman, and Paul Virilio sit down to an imagined conversation about democracy and images. The timely issue of photographic "legitimacy" is addressed in "Photography and Belief," and in "The Highest Degree of Illusion," Strauss looks at the media frenzy surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
SYNOPSIS
This volume collects 18 essays by photography critic Strauss which reflect on connections between politics and photography from a number of different angles and with a variety of focuses. Among the topics discussed are propaganda in the context of the different presentations of the work of the late John Hoagland (killed in El Salvador) and Richard Cross in Latin America, the ability of Sebastião Salgado to show photographic subjects in relation to each other and the world around them, and the attempts of Alfredo Jaar to rescue the degraded power of the image to move people to action. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In her recent book Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag concludes that an aesthetic reaction is part of the viewer's experience of even shots of extreme pain or violence. Written more than 10 years ago, the lead piece of these 18 essays on photography weighs in on aestheticization and also finds that, even in "social documentary" photographs, "aestheticization" is one of the ways that disparate peoples recognize themselves in one another." Yet despite the similar subject matter and terminology, poet and critic Levi Strauss carves out unique and convincing critical terrain in this follow-up to Between Dog and Wolf, his previous collection of critical meditations. Most of these pieces were written during the '90s and published as review essays on the work of Ania Bien, Miguel Rio Branco, Alfredo Jaar, Joel-Peter Witkin, Francesca Woodman and others; also included are an interview with painter Leon Golub (who works from photographs) and an introduction from critical eminence John Berger. "Photography and Propaganda," a study of the work and deaths in '80s Central America of photojournalists Richard Cross and John Hoagland, should be required reading in the age of embeddedness, and "Photography and Belief" is a terrific meditation on truth in the age of digital manipulation, which leads to an investigation of why many people thought images of September 11 "looked like a movie." Thoughtful and firm, these reflections seem more vital than ever. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
New York writer and critic Strauss examines issues in contemporary culture that concern both photography and politics. Impressively addressing both fine art and documentary photography with equal weight and depth, Strauss's 18 essays deal with such diverse and provocative subject matter as propaganda in Central America, land mines in Cambodia, and homeless children in America. There are also thought-provoking essays on artists Joel-Peter Witkin, Sebastiao Salgado, and Francesca Woodman. These collected essays not only question morality, memory, and grief but also confront what noted author John Berger (Ways of Seeing) describes as "the pain of the world" in the book's introduction. One of Strauss's most compelling essays, "The Highest Degree of Illusion," considers photography's role in the September 11 attacks. Strauss's subject matter is challenging and current and his writing style intellectual but accessible. Strauss isn't alone in exploring the relationship of photography and pain; recent books by both Susan Sontag (Regarding the Pain of Others) and Ulrich Baer (Spectral Evidence: The Photography of Trauma) are concerned with images of war. Highly recommended for all collections.-Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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