John Gossage: The Pond

John Gossage: The Pond Feature

• ISBN13: 9781597111324
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

John Gossage: The Pond Overview

Considered a groundbreaking book when first published in 1985, John Gossage's The Pond remains one of the most important photobooks of the medium. As Gerry Badger, coauthor of The Photobook: A History, Volumes I and II, asserts, "Adams, Shore, Baltz--all the New Topographics photographers made great books, but none are better than The Pond." Consisting of photographs taken around and away from a pond situated in an unkempt wooded area at the edge of a city, the volume presents a considered foil to Henry Thoreau's stay at Walden. The photographs in The Pond do not aspire to the "beauty" of classical landscapes in the tradition of Ansel Adams. Instead, they reveal a subtle vision of reality on the border between man and nature. Gossage depicts nature in full splendor, yet at odds with both itself and man, but his tone is ambiguous and evocative rather than didactic. Robert Adams described the work as "believable because it includes evidence of man's darkness of spirit, memorable because of the intense fondness [Gossage] shows for the remains of the natural world." Aperture now reissues this exquisitely produced and highly collectible classic monograph. With the addition of three images and two essays, this second edition offers new audiences the opportunity to celebrate this notable work by a master photographer and bookmaker.
John Gossage (born 1946) is well known for his artist's books and photographic publications, and has produced 17 books and boxes on specific bodies of work. In the 1960s, he studied briefly with Lisette Model and Alexey Brodovitch. Since then, his work has been exhibited worldwide. His photographs are held in numerous private and public collections, including those of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gossage lives in Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

I've owned a copy of the first edition of "the Pond" for more than 20 years, and have read the book many times. I have no idea what this book is about, and writing a review of it seems completely pointless--unlike the act of holding the book in your hands and turning the pages, which is pure visual pleasure. The individual photographs sometimes seem unsettling, but there are other emotions released also--of stillness, of joy.

I really don't know why this is such a great book--just that it is--and that it is a true gift that it is back in print.

Best Price Click Here!