The Photographer's Eye

by John Szarkowski

Book Overview

A bestselling and indispensable introduction to the visual language of photography, from the legendary MoMA director and curator John Szarkowski

The Photographer's Eye by John Szarkowski is a twentieth-century classic--an indispensable introduction to the visual language of photography. Based on a landmark exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in 1964, and originally published in 1966, the book has long been out of print...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087070527X
• ISBN13: 9780870705274
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Museum of Modern Art
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Deceptively straight forward

I agree with some of the reviews that expressed surprise at the fact that the amount of text is less than the blurb leads you to believe. I too was expecting a commentary on each of the photos in the book hoping to gain insight into the authors opinions about each photo. In fact the commentary is not so tightly linked to the individual photos, instead groups of photos illustrate each of the five main themes of the book. However, the essay by the author is pretty deep and to the point, there is no fluff here. After reading it I thought what he was saying seemed kind of obvious and true. You could take this as a criticism, but for me I have found that it has been very helpful to have these fundamental things articulated. In summary, for me this is a deceptively concise but classic statement of some of the "truths" behind the photographic process, accompanied by some stunning black and white photos.

The starting point

I've been a professional photographer for 35 years, (with a BFA from RISD) and this it the book that got me really juiced! Spend some time reviewing the images and concepts within. The magical nature of recording light in our physical world is very clear. I've loved this book for 35 years. I have purchased many copies for others interested in photography and can fully recommend this for anyone who will take the time to see what is really contained within. Cheers, Gary

Photography as Art

Since the beginning of photography, the medium's position as art has been questioned. Much of this skepticism resides in the belief that anyone can make a photograph, whereas a painting takes talent to create. However, the photographer knows better than this. The Photographer's Eye is a collection of photographs from an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in which John Szarkowski articulates the elements intrinsic to photography that qualify the medium as an important part of art history. Szarkowski emphasizes the word `make' when describing the process of creating a photograph. While the traditional and most common phrase to describe this process has always been "to take a picture" Szarkowski's change in vocabulary reflects his belief that decision-making is the core of the photographic act. Photography has many similarities with traditional fine art. Photography is only different in the way it addresses these components. Working with a process that has a physical relationship with reality means that instead of simply synthesizing a cohesive composition as with a painting or drawing, a photographer selects what is visible as well as what is excluded from the frame. Both processes are based on artistic decisions. Photographers active participation in the creation of their art is something that connects their medium to other fine art. The Photographer's Eye examines a selection of work that embodies and clarifies John Szarkowski's understanding of this participation.