koudelka retrospektive

[lubitel]

Just got the book "Koudelka retrospektive". I just love his photos. I haven't seen any other photographer that has produced so many photographs that are so great. Don't know how to describe them better, the moments he captures, the compositions with which he transforms ordinary scenery into amazing works of art.

 

[peter_n]

He is my favorite photog too. Do you mean the book Koudelka edited by Robert Delpire and others? That's a terrific introduction to his work and also includes some of the panoramics he shot. His eye for composition is uncanny, some of those panoramics are very difficult. I'd love to see an exhibit of his work.

 

[lubitel]

Yes thats the one. my first book from him was the little pocket book from Bernard Cuau. I was stunned when I first looked through it. But I never saw any of his panoramics until now. what other books from him do you have or would recommend?

 

[peter_n]

If you love his panoramics you have to get Chaos, it is still in print. I also recommend Exiles which is going out of print - I managed to get a copy from Italy at a reasonable price. I am also interested in Gypsies but that book is out of print and $$$.

If you like panoramics in general and would like to see where Koudelka got his inspiration, Josef Sudek's Sad Landscape is still in print and available from an online Czech bookstore at a very reasonable price. It was Sudek who originally went to Bohemia and recorded the ecological destruction in the north-west part of the region. Koudelka later published The Black Triangle which had shots from the same area but then in Chaos he broadened his perspective to other parts of Europe.

 

[.ken]

The books are very pricey. I wish the libraries carried them, I really want to see some more of his photos.

Did you pickup the book at his recent signing?

 

[lubitel]

I got it used from German amazon, and its actually a german version, without english texts. it was 40 euros. new one is 60.

 

[peter_n]

The books are very pricey. I wish the libraries carried them, I really want to see some more of his photos.

Did you pickup the book at his recent signing?

You're right! I hadn't checked recently but Chaos is $56 on Amazon, Koudelka is already $173, and Exiles is $1,499! 😱

I got all of mine through Amazon except for Exiles which I got from a dealer in Italy through eBay.

See if you can get the books through inter-library loan. Most libraries are members of a consortium and if they don't have a book it is likely they can borrow it for you from another library in the group.

 

[timothyd]

If you like Koudelka, and live or can make it to NY, there's a show at the Aperture Foundation gallery of his prague invasion photos of 1968. It's to promote the "Invasion 68 Prague" book. I saw it, pretty good. But I also really want to see the Gypsies and Exiles books.

 

[semrich]

It's nice to see I'm not alone with respect to Koudelka's work. I haven't seen his book but was fortunate to see an exhibition here in Istanbul. Large prints, great images with tones to swoon over.

If you can get to a show and you like his stuff then don't miss it.

 

[bigdog]

Koudelka

Koudelka

I just received a copy of Koudelka and I am very glad I made the purchase.

This is the second book I purchased from the publisher Thames & Hudson that was also available from Aperture (first one being Stephen Shore's "Uncommon Places") and the paper and print quality is amazing, you can cut out and frame any page in the book.

I think Aperture does not always match the quality of other publishers. I had issues with creasing on two copies of Salgado's "Workers" and just decide to live with the flawed copies.

This is a great monograph and I look forward to spending my "snowed in" days this winter studying this book. I think most people would find this book a beautiful addition to thier collection.

 

[sirius]

Hi, the aperture show is over now. It ended Oct 31. It was great. I was much more impressed by these photos when I saw them at that scale and as a group. It's very moving and he was quite brave. There are some of them and a very good interview in the current issue of Aperture. Cheers

 

[peter_n]

I just received a copy of Koudelka and I am very glad I made the purchase.

This is the second book I purchased from the publisher Thames & Hudson that was also available from Aperture (first one being Stephen Shore's "Uncommon Places") and the paper and print quality is amazing, you can cut out and frame any page in the book.

I think Aperture does not always match the quality of other publishers. I had issues with creasing on two copies of Salgado's "Workers" and just decide to live with the flawed copies.

This is a great monograph and I look forward to spending my "snowed in" days this winter studying this book. I think most people would find this book a beautiful addition to thier collection.

I have an Aperture copy of the book and as I recall it is a pretty decent print job. It is a wonderful book and what I like about it is that it gives you a good grasp of the amazing range of his vision. I got particularly interested in his panoramics and bought Chaos on the basis of the sampling in Koudelka and then went chasing after a panoramic myself. I found out what camera Koudelka used (a Fuji 617 with a fixed 105mm lens) and after looking at a number of panoramic web sites realized that his use of the camera was totally unique, the exception being Josef Sudek, from whom Koudelka clearly got inspiration. The book will give you hours of enjoyment, enjoy!