The Sadness of Men

[SuzanneR]

Photographs by Philip Perkis.

I "pre-ordered" this book from Photo-eye some time ago, and completely forgot until recently that I had done that. Anyway, it arrived today, and it has to be, hands down... one of the most beautiful photography books I have ever seen. His work has an ethereal dramlike quality, and yet... it is rooted in a classic kind of 35mm leica grainy tri-x reality. He has photographed all over the world... New York, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, the U.S.

He was the head of the photography department at Pratt Institute when I was a student there... ahem... in the early 80's, and he was (and probably still is) an excellent instructor of photography. I think he might still teach at SVA, and NYU. At any rate... I highly recommend this book if you like well observed 35mm photography full of serene landscapes, jumbled street scenes, and just carefully seen life in general.

http://www.amazon.com/Sadness-Men-P...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206577335&sr=8-1

 

[Drew B.]

How about a brief summary for the book's title? I couldn't find any in the review...

drew

 

[Pinholemaster]

Thanks for the heads up. I'd be sad if you didn't. Grin.

 

[SuzanneR]

The book is a compilation of his photographs made over a period of, I think, 50 years. He photographs much in the same way as Robert Frank. He has traveled a lot, and is really, I think, a careful observer of life, of nature, of cities, and the countryside. The pictures have a kind of "sadness" about them... not exactly depressing, and he talks about the difference between depression and sadness in an interview at the back of the book.

The pictures also take on some dreamlike qualities, but are made in such a down to earth way... one camera, one lens. And the sequencing is interesting... you'll go from the middle east to middle America with the turn of a page... the pictures relate, but in the way images in a dream relate. Somehow... he has managed to give the world a very specific look... his own I guess, like you might in a dream.

I'll confess, it took me a long while to warm up to his photographs. When I was a student, and, frankly, had not seen very many of them... I didn't "get" them. Now... looking at a 50 year retrospective, they are quietly extraordinary to me.

I think Photo-Eye has a book tease... and you can probably request it at your library!!