The Body: Photographs of the Human Form
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, BrooklynCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.