New Gordon Parks Book

It's been several years since I've looked forward to a book with as much anticipation as I have Gordon Parks' The Atmosphere of Crime, 1957 from Steidl. There are some stone masterpieces among these photographs. Among those I've seen, I mean. The prospect of a carefully curated book from the whole body of work is highly promising.

I'll reproduce the entire blurb for you:

Gordon Parks’ ethically complex depictions of crime in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with previously unseen photographs

When Life magazine asked Gordon Parks to illustrate a recurring series of articles on crime in the United States in 1957, he had already been a staff photographer for nearly a decade, the first African American to hold this position. Parks embarked on a six-week journey that took him and a reporter to the streets of New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Unlike much of his prior work, the images made were in color. The resulting eight-page photo-essay “The Atmosphere of Crime” was noteworthy not only for its bold aesthetic sophistication, but also for how it challenged stereotypes about criminality then pervasive in the mainstream media. They provided a richly hued, cinematic portrayal of a largely hidden world: that of violence, police work and incarceration, seen with empathy and candor.

Parks rejected clichés of delinquency, drug use and corruption, opting for a more nuanced view that reflected the social and economic factors tied to criminal behavior and afforded a rare window into the working lives of those charged with preventing and prosecuting it. Transcending the romanticism of the gangster film, the suspense of the crime caper and the racially biased depictions of criminality then prevalent in American popular culture, Parks coaxed his camera to record reality so vividly and compellingly that it would allow Life’s readers to see the complexity of these chronically oversimplified situations. The Atmosphere of Crime, 1957 includes an expansive selection of never-before-published photographs from Parks’ original reportage.

Gordon Parks was born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912. An itinerant laborer, he worked as a brothel pianist and railcar porter, among other jobs, before buying a camera at a pawnshop, training himself and becoming a photographer. He evolved into a modern-day Renaissance man, finding success as a film director, writer and composer. The first African-American director to helm a major motion picture, he helped launch the blaxploitation genre with his film Shaft (1971). Parks died in 2006.

Can't wait. Really looking forward to this one.

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Cliff McMann: "I was fortunate to see a Gordon Parks exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond a few years ago. My wife and I went back twice to see it again while it was there. There were several pieces from the Life crime series. I had been familiar with his early B&W work from my younger days. His color work and portraits of criminal gang members is a large reason we went back. I was so impressed with how he managed to see with a consistent vision in both color and monochrome. Something I have never managed to do. I will buy the book for sure just as I did the museum book. If the opportunity ever arises, I recommend seeing actual prints of all his work, but of the color work in particular."

Hans Muus: "Even the preview (thank you, Kenneth Tanaka) is impressive. And what a relief these telling photographs are not hyped by extra micro contrast, ‘clarity,’ ‘sharpness,’ or ‘HD.’ They have a visual subtlety that moves me, getting their message across in a deeper way. Though I thought I was over buying photobooks (age- and spacewise) I will order this one, planning to circulate it between me and my two sons—artists in their own right, with a keen sociological interest."

Comments

[Kenneth Tanaka]

It does look like an excellent book. You can get a good preview of the book at the Steidl site.

(Caution: Visiting Steidl may be hazardous to your wealth.)

[Kodachromeguy]

"racially biased depictions of criminality then prevalent in American popular culture,"
That has not changed in six decades. Maybe after the November election, we can try to be serious about the many racial and poverty issues that plague our nation.

[Mark Hobson]

American Gothic by Gordon Parks - a masterpiece

[John]

For those close to NYC, the Gordon Parks Foundation is in Pleasantville, NY. Now closed because of the virus, but a nice resource nonetheless: http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/

[Khürt Williams]

Finally a photo book I can afford.

[Mark C]

"Brothel pianist" would be a great line to have on your C.V.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

As a follow-up to other comments...

Some years ago, as a fan of Parks’s work, I eagerly bought the 5-volume, 21 lb “Gordon Parks Collected Works” set after learning of it from the head of the Gordon Parks Foundation at an art show. It’s glorious, printed as only Steidl can print such work. And since working through it once or twice I rarely touch it.

Fast-forward a few years. Michal Raz-Russo creates a magnificent small exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago titled “Invisible Man: Gordon Parks and Ralph Ellison in Harlem”. The pages of my catalog for that show are showing signs of wear.

My point: curation and editing matters. Parks has an enormous body or work. But, like a plastic Christmas tree, it can’t be easily or fully appreciated until someone re-assembles the branches onto a central trunk.

It’s a good lesson for all of us who have assembled large collections of our own images.

[Blake Andrews]

Great book. My review is here: https://collectordaily.com/gordon-parks-the-atmosphere-of-crime-1957/

[Winfried Heyland]

Great recommendation. Bought it yesterday.