Jeff Wall: The Crooked Path
Like many contemporary artists, Jeff Wall borrows tricks from advertising: Early in his career the photographer began displaying works in backlit boxes inspired by outdoor signs. Mr. Wall, trained in art history, was actually after a retro effect: a luminosity reminiscent of oil paint. 'The Crooked Path' (Ludion, 255 pages, $50) assembles examples from the past 30 years, many of which are elaborately staged...Notably, Mr.Wall's frequent allusions - to literature, to Hokusai, to Manet - are rarely ironic. His photographs seek a connection, in what is still a relatively new medium, to what came before. (Daniel AkstThe Wall Street Journal2012-01-28)As in an exhibition by the same name, Wall has combined his own pictures with those of this artistic influences- including Marcel Duchamp, Eugène Atget and Diane Arubus- giving context and depth to the elaborate mise-en-scènes for which Wall is known. (Jack CragerAmerican Photo2011-11-01)