3 books on Style

Michael Wolf “Sitting in China” (椅子）
From my perspective, this is not only a photography book but also a history book. The book is covered by this intense red color which is the red color on the Chinese flag. I found the introduction very interesting to me where the photography told a story: When he tried to photograph one of the old chair, the crowed thought that he tried to make fun of china by taking a picture of a ugly subject, and they tried to stop him and destroy the chair. Even in the 90s, few Chinese people had chances to learn about concept of art. The economy was still in a seedling stage and most people was still left brainwashed and only thought about how to make a living. The book collected many scene from old china in the 90s. Mass laboring, factories, bicycles, traditions and old chairs, all that marked a new era where strong Chinese people began to wake up from economic struggle and mind imprisonment embracing and catching up with the world. This book visualized many stories that our father told us when they are in our ages, which is very precious to me. 

Most photos have a kind of historical vibe with a clear main subject presented, making viewer think about the story and the life behind it.



Larry Sultan “Here and Home”
Larry Sultan is a famous American photographer known for his fictional and dream-like style photography. His ability to associate reality with fantasy amazed me. I feel that many of his works create this vibe or atmosphere of a movie or a documentary. In his photography, common scenes and objects such as home and billboard can be constructed and presented as they came from a fiction world in the past or the future, leaving the viewer in a limitless imagination. 

In the Pictures from Home collections, The photographer took most of pictures horizontally in a wide angle and frame, giving us various subjects, content, details and colors. More importantly, all the element in the pictures collaborated with each other in harmony. A very relaxing, leisure and entertaining vibe is created in some images whereas others can be mysterious and meaningful, as looks like they came from a classic Hollywood movie.




Alex Webb “The Suffering of Light”
This is my favorite book in the three. This book is wild and crazy. I have no ideas how some image was made. Some elements and coincidence (if they are) are just mind-blowing. I really doubt that they are actually real photos, not made-up photoshop images.

The book was titled “The Suffering of Light” from the quote “Colors are the deeds and suffering of light” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which means this is a book of colors.

Most photos are taken in third world country where I think colors are not regulated. Many street and building have intense color composition just like graffiti everywhere. In some photos, colors are in harmony; in others, colors are in a dramatic contrast. In addition, The photographer used a very wide angle and frame with multiple subjects presented. I feel like it is very hard to land your eye on his picture, which is actually very interesting and this make you spend more time to look through the image and think about them as a whole than just taking a glance at some beautiful color combination. I feel like most of the pictures collected in this book give you a profound and deep feeling. It is like a storyline telling, when your eye rest on them, your brain automatically begin to search for a narrative and solution behind either conflicts, coincident or harmony  emerged from in-between. Every one of them have a meaning.



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