Imagenes enigmaticas de fotografia / Enigmatic Images from Unknown Photographers (Elect.arte)

by Robert Flynn Johnson

"Haunting, cryptic photographs…fire the imagination. The images come with no explanation, only speculation, so we are free to let our minds roam wild." —Miami HeraldThe wonderfully diverse images reproduced here include many of transcendent beauty and psychological insight, all with the magical, mysterious charge that comes from speculating on the circumstances in which they were taken. Novelist William Boyd, whose introduction identifies thirteen ways in which to look at photographs, "The anonymous photograph…makes us ask, with new concentration, what it is about a photograph that elevates it above the casual and the banal…why some images move and enthrall and remain in our memories."The number of collectors of anonymous photographs is growing exponentially. Robert Flynn Johnson has spent more than a decade on a personal journey of discovery through what were previously uncharted waters to find the works reproduced here. Reflecting themes that govern our lives—birth, death, love, war, travel, celebrity—these photographs are pleasurable and poignant, giving insight into the human secrets with which we can all identify. Over 220 illustrations.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Coffee Table Books, History

16 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2004

Reviews

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, mysterious, sad photographs from a time when the word "photograph" meant something. So many unknown artists! And yet, like in Johnson's other book, The Face in the Lens: Anonymous Photographs, they seem to share something, the same mood, as if they were all taken by one timeless photographer.

[Frederic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emphasis here is definitely on the photos themselves, which are nicely printed at good size (most somewhat larger than the original); even the (sparse) captions are all at the end, keyed by page, so the pages are without text to distract from the image. But the introductory short essay by William Boyd, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Photograph", is one of the best introductions to the subject, in my opinion much better than the usual cited works like Barthes and Sontag. And the joy of such anonymous images is that, lacking famous names and associations to hang one's appreciation on, they must be appreciated as sheer visual objects. One of my favorites.

[elizabeth roberts-zibbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy and curious.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection that is sure to invite frequent re-opening to random images!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of arresting found photos that hold their own with the shots of known greats. Moving and thought-provoking. I have the feeling these images will find their way into my dream sleep.

[Aischa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous photos. A collection of mundane and bizarre pictures, mostly black and white. Totally satisfies anyone with a curiosity for humanity.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

More puzzling evidence from the human psyche. I'm loving it and coveting many of these photos.

[janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xmas present from Jay&Cheryl.