Book of the Month
I love books. Fiction, non-fiction, old books, new books, hard-backed, paperback, dog-eared, coffee-stained or in pristine condition, I love them all. But the books I love most of all are photo books, particularly monographs.
Artists and photographers require a constant source of inspiration in order to keep their own work fresh and to help them see critically. It’s pretty easy to get that inspiration from other artists and photographers online, but to have a real understanding of their process, motivation and intent, a monograph is invaluable and provides an insight that cannot always be gained from blogs and social media.
One of my favourite books is Saul Leiter’s In My Room (2017), a collection of some of the most beautifully drawn black and white nude photographs I have seen. The photographs were drawn from his extensive archive and feature a variety of female friends and lovers in relaxed and unguarded moments, whilst in various states of undress. There is clearly an element of the male gaze here which should not be overlooked; the photograph on the frontispiece shows Leiter fully clothed whilst his female companion is semi-clothed, but what strikes me most about the images is the lack of coyness displayed by the subjects. These women are deliberate and almost defiant in their response to the camera’s eye; they do not shy away from returning the gaze in an almost provocative fashion.
Saul Leiter, In My Room, 2018
The photographs were taken in natural light, my personal preference, and have visible grain, some are blurred, others are sharply focused, some have over-exposed areas - see the cover photograph, for example, and other have have blacks so deep and dark that at first glance it’s almost impossible to identify facial features or any body parts at all. What they all have in common, however, is Leiter’s practiced eye in capturing private intimacy that almost borders on voyeurism.
Saul Leiter, In My Room, 2018
Saul Leiter, In My Room, 2018
Saul Leiter, In My Room, 2018
If you’re already aware of Leiter’s work through the seminal Early Color, do yourself a favour and purchase a copy of In My Room. The slow, almost mediative nature of these black and white photographs are mesmerising.