William Christenberry (1936–2016)

This book is a collaboration between The Friends of Photography, San Francisco, and The Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, in association with The University of New Mexico Press. With text by Thomas W. Southall, stories by William Christenberry, and excerpts from the writing of James Agee, it presents black & white photos taken by Walker Evans in the Depression South and color photos taken recently by painter and photographer William Christenberry of many of the places Evans visited, places that Christenberry knows intimately , having been born and raised there or nearby.… (mais)

William Christenberry is a giant of contemporary American photography. Following the footsteps of Walker Evans and definitely akin to Stephen Shore and - especially - William Eggleston, he's a teller of the American South, with a deep focus on vernacular architecture and the passage of time. Also, his work contains a darker perspective on the criminal Klu Klux Klan movement, which obsessed Christenberry from his early photographic years. It should also be remembered that Christenberry isn't just a photographer: his sculpture, paintings and collected objects are as important as his own pictures.

The book is good and presents a comprehensive selection of C.'s work. Too bad the reproductions are very small. Considering that many of C.'s pictures are from large format negatives (as opposed to the early images captured with a Brownie camera), this is really a pity. The essays are good, even if a bit ripetitive.
… (mais)