Walker Evans: Depth Of Field

by Walker Evans (Photographer), Heinz Liesbrock (Editor), John T. Hill (Editor)

This resplendent volume is the most comprehensive study of Walker Evans's work ever published, containing masterful images accompanied by authoritative commentary from leading photography historians. The name Walker Evans conjures images of the American everyman. Whether it's his iconic contributions to James Agee's depressionera classic book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, his architectural explorations of antebellum plantations, or his subway series, taken with a camera hidden in his coat, Evans's accessible and eloquent photographs speak to us all. This comprehensive book traces the entire arc of Evans's remarkable career, from the 1930s to the 1970s. The illustrations in the book range from his earliest images taken with a vest pocket camera to his final photos using the then new SX-70 because his regular equipment had become too heavy to carry around. The book includes commentary from three of Evans's longtime friends, photographers John T. Hill and Jerry Thompson and professor emeritus (Yale University) Alan Trachtenberg. Their insight and first-hand experience give depth to their critical writings on Evans's work. In addition to offering a broad perspective on Evans's work, the book also clarifies the photographer's -anti-art- philosophy. Eschewing aesthetic hyperbole, Evans wanted his pictures to resonate with a wide audience. At the same time, his natural curiosity made him one of the most inventive photographers of all time. What these photographs and writings attest to is a huge and timeless talent, which came not from a camera, but from Evans's uniquely hungry eye.

Genres: Photography, Art

408 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2015

About the author

Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans's work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8x10-inch camera. He said that his goal as a photographer was to make pictures that are "literate, authoritative, transcendent".

Many of his works are in the permanent collections of museums and have been the subject of retrospectives at such institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art or George Eastman House.

In 2000, Evans was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Reviews

[Patrick Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at the career and work of Walker Evans. The essays and commentary that illuminate the book provide ample evidence of Evans place as a quiet, understated cornerstone of contemporary photography and gives a comprehensive selection of the images that he took throughout his life. Having first come across Evans about 30 years ago when Neil Postman wrote of the impact of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and was rewarded after a long hunt for Evans classic collaboration with James Agee. Coming across this well-researched and written book spanning the breadth of Evans career is a treat.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are studying Walker Evans, this book is comprehensive and possibly the only one you’ll need. It spans the entire breadth of his career and includes a summary of his life. Great book about a great artist.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and comprehensive review of Walker Evans works and life.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coffee-table retrospective of the photography of Walker Evans ... thorough, with several informative essays ... beautifully illustrated, as to be expected ... includes insightful quotes directly from Walker Evans on his work ...