Ansel Adams
Letters, 1916--1984
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
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نقد و بررسی
Starred review from April 29, 1996
Alinder was Ansel Adams's caretaker, nurse and executive assistant from 1979 until the photographer's death in 1984 at the age of 82. This deeply felt, unauthorized biography provides a much fuller picture of Adams's turbulent personal life than his 1985 autobiography, which Alinder coauthored. Adams traveled often, leaving behind his wife, Virginia Best, and their two children; his numerous affairs and continual neglect drained her patience and love, nearly wrecking their marriage. Growing up in San Francisco, with frequent trips to the Yosemite Valley that he would immortalize in crisp, radiant photographs, Adams witnessed the unhappy, formal, proper marriage of his stern, domineering mother and mild father, who usually addressed each other as "Mrs. Adams" or "Mr. Adams." His adult personal life was often in shambles, and he never found emotional happiness, according to Alinder. After 1949, she writes, Adams, paralyzed by fear of failure, suffered creative burnout and turned increasingly from photography to environmental activism and writing. She also discusses his formative friendships with mentor Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe and with photographers Paul Strand, Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. Photos.
October 1, 1988
An impressive addition to Adams's work, this book clarifies the emotional and conceptual framework of many of his most familiar and stunning photographs by offering with them letters to and from family and friends. Adams is openly loving and loyal in many letters, receiving in return deep respect and affection as both an artist and a warm, likable man. Though he often states that his images are his sole means of self-expression, some of his letters contain lucid critiques of his work and others' that shall prove useful to scholars. Perhaps the most important correspondence is with Stieglitz and Weston, revealing shared enthusiasm for photography as art. For most libraries. David Bryant, Belleville P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1988 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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