Robert Maxwell: Photographs

Rating:
Summary: hard-edged eroticism,haunting beauty
Review: i don't know ANYTHING about the technical aspects ofphotography,but whatever techniques he used in this book,especially for the pictues of (a well known actress),are absolutely stunning.they give the pictures a timeless feel,as though they could have been taken anywhere from the early 1900's to the present age,you just wouldn't know if,well,you DIDN'T know:o). (A well known actress) looks so magnificent in her two portraits-she looks like a... really,very otherwordly and ethereal.ethereal is a word that could describe alot of these photos,but EROTIC with a capital 'E' does just fine for most of them.some people,in fact,may not like the close-ups of female (anatomyt) and that sort of thing,but he doesn't present such pictures in a DIRTY way-it's very artistic.my one major complaint,and the reason i only gave the book 3 stars,is due to all of the pics of (nudity of small) children.i know he did not intend the pictures to be erotic,he was not presenting the children in a sexual way.but i know there are some (people )out there who will misinterpret the meaning of the photographs(which,i venture to guess,has to due with the purity and innocence of youth).this really is a truly unique and original work.EXTREMELY impressive indeed. END

Rating:
Summary: A Collection of Achingly Beautiful Photographs
Review: I've seen some of Maxwell's work in various magazines (Vanity Fair, W, etc.) and have always found myself drawn to his pictures. The lighting and staging of his photos are always interesting, and they just draw the viewer in. His photos have such a unique style, that I can almost always tell immediately if they were taken by him. Anybody who would like a book they can pore over and over again should buy this one! The photos are mesmerizing!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Collection of Achingly Beautiful Photographs
Review: I've seen some of Maxwell's work in various magazines (Vanity Fair, W, etc.) and have always found myself drawn to his pictures. The lighting and staging of his photos are always interesting, and they just draw the viewer in. His photos have such a unique style, that I can almost always tell immediately if they were taken by him. Anybody who would like a book they can pore over and over again should buy this one! The photos are mesmerizing!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Candidate for Best Photo Book of 2000
Review: In Robert Maxwell's first book of photographs, the viewer turns the last pages knowing they have been made privy to what is essentially a very personal photo album. With the exception of a limited few, most images are heartfelt displays of Maxwell's family and friends. Even his still life images have a personal feel, as if taken in the home rather than a studio. Maxwell's nudes are more intimate than his contemporaries. His use of the ambrotype process renders a timeless quality to the nudes, eliciting a romantic look that brings the viewer closer to the image, with all of its dark imperfections. The female nudes done in silver gelatin are actually taken from a closer perspective, with torsos and sections of the body on display, evoking a statuesque quality that can almost be touched. At times Maxwell needs to make it overwhelmingly clear we know he's a family man, both in pictures and words. Photographs of his son and various other children fill a significant portion of the book. This is the book's only shortcoming, partially due to the subjective nature of the material. In the interview by Genevieve Field that begins "Photographs" Maxwell asserts he's just a simple, family guy from suburbia who loves his wife, and his wife trusts him. Who cares? The interview is about as significant as Maxwell's introductory quote that informs the reader he'd blind himself and forsake his art for his wife - and go "love her with everything he's got." Fortunately, the interview is short and the photographs that follow are brilliant. Aside from Maxwell's dramatic, verbal posturing and family man sentimentality, "Photographs" is a significant monograph, and an insightful introduction to a promising photographer.

Rating:
Summary: A Personal Album
Review: In Robert Maxwell's first book of photographs, the viewer turns the last pages knowing they have been made privy to what is essentially a very personal photo album. With the exception of a limited few, most images are heartfelt displays of Maxwell's family and friends. Even his still life images have a personal feel, as if taken in the home rather than a studio. Maxwell's nudes are more intimate than his contemporaries. His use of the ambrotype process renders a timeless quality to the nudes, eliciting a romantic look that brings the viewer closer to the image, with all of its dark imperfections. The female nudes done in silver gelatin are actually taken from a closer perspective, with torsos and sections of the body on display, evoking a statuesque quality that can almost be touched. At times Maxwell needs to make it overwhelmingly clear we know he's a family man, both in pictures and words. Photographs of his son and various other children fill a significant portion of the book. This is the book's only shortcoming, partially due to the subjective nature of the material. In the interview by Genevieve Field that begins "Photographs" Maxwell asserts he's just a simple, family guy from suburbia who loves his wife, and his wife trusts him. Who cares? The interview is about as significant as Maxwell's introductory quote that informs the reader he'd blind himself and forsake his art for his wife - and go "love her with everything he's got." Fortunately, the interview is short and the photographs that follow are brilliant. Aside from Maxwell's dramatic, verbal posturing and family man sentimentality, "Photographs" is a significant monograph, and an insightful introduction to a promising photographer.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photos of all types of subjects
Review: Maxwell has turned his camera toward a variety of subjects, from flowers, to fish, to beautiful women. The women range from his babysitter to the world-famous actress Milla. He finds beauty everywhere, and the quality of his originals and the printing of this book are superb.

Rating:
Summary: A Candidate for Best Photo Book of 2000
Review: This is an amazing, beautiful book--beautifully made and filled with beautiful images. I had not heard of Maxwell before seeing it, but he is, without doubt, one of the finest of today's photographers. There are nudes, flowers, children, old men (including a great picture of a tough old face that could have walked right out of a Cormac McCarthy novel), animals, even spoons clothespinned to a line, which is one of the most beautiful compositions in the book, and some very touching pictures of children, especially some of his son. One of the finest images appears on the back dustjacket: a girl with long, ringlet curls, her back to us, sits atop an old wooden fence. It has a poignancy and touch of nostalgia that makes it nearly seem a glimpse into the past. Maxwell uses a 19th century technique to make his work and that technique often heightens this effect. The book seems very modern with its bold nudes but also partakes of the past with all the innocent images of old people, children, and animals. It's a great and happy book, a celebration of life: adulthood and sexuality, childhood and innocence, nature and the things of our making. I just wish more books like this were being published. And it also includes a fine interview with the artist.

Rating:
Summary: It's good and well marketed but not great
Review: When I first saw this book I thought the pictures were polaroid prints. I then found out that a bunch were ambrotypes. That's pretty cool, but they don't knock me out. Lots of nudes and flowers (some nudes and flowers in the same picture) and it starts to get repetitive. Aside from the process, the subject matter has been done and he is not breaking new ground. I like his editorial work. He is a gifted photographer and works very hard. This is a book of cash cows. If you have to buy this book, go ahead. You'll get bored with it after a while....