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On The Release Of Sebastiao Salgado's "Genesis" As A Book


johnbuckley

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Only our lucky British friends have been able to see Salgado's "Genesis" as a museum show in London, though our friends in Toronto are about to see the North American premier. I received the book published by Taschen yesterday. As a whole, "Genesis" is even more amazing than I had thought, given the glimpses we've been able to see over the past several years, as individual images have either been published (New York Times Magazine, Guardian, Conde Nast Traveler) or been available through galleries.

 

For those interested in Salgado, here's a short write up I posted this morning on the "Genesis" book:

“Genesis” By Sebastiao Salgado Has Arrived | Tulip Frenzy

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The book -- and its layout in particular -- is gorgeous. The one negative thing I've seen written was a Financial Times piece on the museum show, which criticized the images because... they were in black and white ;-)

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There has been quite a lot of criticism of his choice of B&W for this series.

 

I think the debate is a legitimate one. That's not to say I criticise him for his choice, but i do believe it raises interesting questions.

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...

 

Jeff

 

 

Salgado's comparison with people having hair and the trees did 'hurt' a bit. ... :D:D:D

 

 

Well worth listening to. Thank you very much for the link Jeff.

Edited by azzo
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To my knowledge, he's never had a color photo published. Black and white is all he does. And while I love color, what he does with monochrome is gorgeous.

 

John, I agree they're gorgeous.

 

But I think we may be doing him a disservice here. I think his intentions are more serious than simply making some gorgeous photos. So questions about the medium he chooses have to deal with how they serve his purpose, and there's a respectable (though not necessarily correct) argument that says colour may have been a more appropriate choice for this particular series.

 

The criticisms I have read hinge on this: that the photography of people who perhaps haven't been photographed before and whose way of life may be under threat to such an extent that they may be considered "transient" in the most ominous sense of the word, demand the most serious possible presentation. And that may mean foregoing some of the traditional "picturesque and powerful" values of B&W photography and placing them firmly in a modern, contemporary context, which, the argument goes, requires colour. You may not agree, and you'd be in good company because neither did Salgado, who is, if nothing else, a serious photographer.

 

This is an extremely subjective matter and I can instantly think of many strong reasons for preferring B&W, and also some good ones for preferring colour. But of course it is Salgado's choice to make, not ours.

 

But the choice of colour or B&W is a legitimate and, I think, interesting element of the series to discuss.

Edited by Peter H
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The reviews I have seen so far pan this book for the layout (not the photos though).

 

I am entirely put off by the printing across the fold. It should be an oversize book instead.

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