Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography

Description

A note in a workshop log proves that in 1914, Oskar Barnack put the finishing touches on the first working model of a compact camera for 35mm standard cinema film. He had not merely invented a new camera—the Leica (=Leitz/camera), not introduced until 1925 due to the war—he in fact ushered in a paradigm shift in photography. Just in time to mark a milestone birthday of the legendary compact camera, and for the first time in this thematic breadth, this volume, with about eight hundred images, offers a wide artistic and cultural history of the Leica from the 1920s to the present day. Essays by international authors examine topics including the technical genesis of the Leica, its influence on photojournalism, and its significance for a wide variety of avant-garde currents in art photography. Heretofore unpublished documents from the archives of the Leica Camera AG round off this multifaceted one-hundred-year cultural chronicle. Includes photographs by Michael Ackerman, Jane Evelyn Atwood, Ilse Bing, René Burri, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mark Cohen, Bruce Davidson, Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt, William Eggleston, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Alberto Garcia Alix, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Ralph Gibson, Bruce Gilden, René Groebli, George Grosz, Ara Güler, Elisabeth Hase, Fred Herzog, Frank Horvat, Thomas Hoepker, Barbara Klemm, William Klein, Robert Lebeck, Saul Leiter, Ulrich Mack, Ramón Masats, Susan Meiselas, Jeff Mermelstein, Joel Meyerowitz, Will McBride, László Moholy-Nagy, Alexander Rodtschenko, Paolo Roversi, Erich Salomon, Jeanloup Sieff, Klavdij Sluban, Louis Stettner, Christer Strömholm, Sabine Weiss, Kai Wiedenhöfer, Tom Wood, and many others. Review: The Leica camera. Its history in pictures. - Great book on the history of the Leica camera and its contrabutions over 100 years. A big, heavy book that you can have for enjoyment and research for a long time to come. Great reference pictures and information. Review: Photography from a bygone age. - First the pros: It's a beautiful and informative book that I would recommend to anyone interested in 35mm photography. It is full of very informative articles relating to the history of the Leica instrument, and its uses in photojournalism; industrial photography; fashion photography; art photography...etc.etc. highlighting many of the photographers who used the Leica as their axe (tool). The book is loaded with wonderful photos covering the various genres. The cons (and these are minor complaints given the scope of this wonderful book ) The book is obviously Germany biased in it's coverage of photographers. Though it does highlight photographers from all over the world, some of my favorites are missing: Where are photos of Mary Ellen Mark, Jerome Liebling...etc, etc? Though some thousand photos are shown, many are in contact sheet form, or tear sheets with contact size positives pasted on; or pictures of open photo books showing a photo spread. In other words, thumbnail size. I have the urge to click the thumbnail to see a full size photo. Many photos were not printed from the original elements, but photographed from books. I'm sure this was necessary, as many of the original elements are probably gone with the wind. Sepia tone was over used in the book, IMO. There are beautiful full size photo spreads to be sure, but the thumbnails beg a fuller look. One section, showing photos of the assembly of a Leica, is printed on 3/4 size paper, like a booklet sewn into the book. Why not full size pages? (And yes, the book is sewn! Thankfully!) The contrast on some of the photos shown is questionable. In Alexander Rodchenko's "Girl With Leica" (a very famous photo) the contrast is so high you can't really see the Leica. I've seen a better copy of that one. The color photos don't come through as well as they could have on a different paper. But generally I think the reproductions are good. (Better than "good" would have required a more expensive paper, resulting in a more expensive book... but the reproductions are good.) Nuff said. This is an excellent book which no doubt took eons to compile. The articles are excellent. The photography is great and provides a sweeping look at the 20th century. I think you won't be disappointed (at least in any major way). I was impressed. Being a Leica photographer myself (and a Nikon photographer, I must say) this book is a must for my shelf. Make room for it.