Edited by Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Walter Moser. Text by Roland Fischer, Philippe Garner, Anna Hanreich, Gabriele Jutz, Astrid Mahler, Walter Moser, Thomas Seelig.
The 1966 cult film Blow-Up is not only the widely recognized, first English-language film from Michelangelo Antonioni, but can also be regarded as an excursion in photography. On a futile search for evidence of a crime he thinks he has seen, fashion photographer Thomas enlarges his pictures, pushing the envelope of the medium's boundaries. Antonioni's film, a milestone in film history, revolves around the issue of how much truth exists in perception and delves into the ways in which media reproductions can be manipulated. This publication examines Blow-Up from a photographic perspective, investigating in detail the photographic and art-historical stances presented in the film, as well as the genres it represents. The stylistic devices discussed range from social reportage, fashion photography and Pop art to abstract photography. In addition to film stills, works that can be seen in Blow-Up and photographs that illuminate the cultural context of the film, the famous, ambivalently incriminating photos are also included here. This volume demonstrates that Blow-Up has retained its relevance into the present day as a study of images and their multitudes of interpretations.
Featured image is reproduced from Blow-Up.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Elle Magazine
Noah Silverstein
A detailed examination of the 1966 cult hit featuring Veruschka that continues to be a ludic source of inspiration to designers.
In Antonioni's Hypnotic Eye on a Frantic World, the opening essay in Hatje Cantz's excellent new book on
Antonioni's classic film and photography, Albertina museum contemporary photography curator Walter Moser quotes the filmmaker: "'Photographers… Are fashion photographers requested to stress the sexual angle or merely to concentrate on the clothes? Do they succeed in leaving on the photo the imprint of their personal taste? Which of his own photographs does he consider most successful artistically—and why?' These are just some of the questions that Michelangelo Antonioni formulated when doing the background research for Blow Up. They informed a questionnaire running to several pages in length that he presented to those London-based photographers on whom his protagonist was to be modeled." Featured image, a 1966 film still of David Hemmings and Veruschka in the film, is reproduced from Blow-Up. continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 9 x 11.25 in. / 280 pgs / 1,020 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $55.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $72.5 ISBN: 9783775737371 PUBLISHER: Hatje Cantz AVAILABLE: 9/30/2014 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of print AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Hatje Cantz. Edited by Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Walter Moser. Text by Roland Fischer, Philippe Garner, Anna Hanreich, Gabriele Jutz, Astrid Mahler, Walter Moser, Thomas Seelig.
The 1966 cult film Blow-Up is not only the widely recognized, first English-language film from Michelangelo Antonioni, but can also be regarded as an excursion in photography. On a futile search for evidence of a crime he thinks he has seen, fashion photographer Thomas enlarges his pictures, pushing the envelope of the medium's boundaries. Antonioni's film, a milestone in film history, revolves around the issue of how much truth exists in perception and delves into the ways in which media reproductions can be manipulated. This publication examines Blow-Up from a photographic perspective, investigating in detail the photographic and art-historical stances presented in the film, as well as the genres it represents. The stylistic devices discussed range from social reportage, fashion photography and Pop art to abstract photography. In addition to film stills, works that can be seen in Blow-Up and photographs that illuminate the cultural context of the film, the famous, ambivalently incriminating photos are also included here. This volume demonstrates that Blow-Up has retained its relevance into the present day as a study of images and their multitudes of interpretations.
