New York Vertical - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3823854739 ISBN 13: 9783823854739

Publisher: teNeues, 2000

Synopsis

Now in an easy-to-carry format, this award-winning pictorial tribute to the world's most vertical city offers a unique introduction to New York's spectacular architecture. Using a vintage panoramic camera tilted ninety degrees, Hamann spent nearly five years painstakingly setting up shot after shot, often finding himself balancing precariously out a window ledge, patiently waiting for the perfect lighting conditions. His stark black and white compositions lend these photographs a dramatic, often dreamlike quality, and offer unique reinterpretations of the of the world's most recognizable cityscapes. The result is an original and astonishing array of images-accompanied by quotations from some of the city's most ardent and well-known fans-that capture New York's towering presence in a way no other photographer ever has.

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Review

Some people may mistakenly overlook this book because of the novelty of its central idea--upending a panoramic camera to shoot New York City vertically. But veteran photographer Horst Hamann's pictures have nothing gimmicky about them; in fact, like Berenice Abbott's, they seem destined for New York City photo immortality. The pictures are beautifully controlled--in vision, in camera technique, and in printing. What's more, Hamann bends the city to his vision of light, air, and geometry. A shot of the Statue of Liberty's right arm, holding the lamp aloft, is a masterwork of composition and care. It's as if Hamann somehow arranged for the sea below to darken in precisely the same gradations as the Lady's stately arm. Compare it to a dizzying picture of one of the Chrysler Building's shiny eagle heads, or a serene moment among the hosta lilies in Trinity Church cemetery for a grasp of Hamann's range.

Each photograph is paired with a quotation on the opposite page, such as Walt Whitman's "The beautiful city, the city of hurried and sparkling waters!" or former mayor James J. Walker's quip, "I'd rather be a lamppost in New York than Mayor of Chicago." The back of the book contains information on the places in the photographs. On a shelf of New York books, this one might take its place next to Paul Goldberger's classic, The City Observed, as a fresh example of how New York's stone, steel, and glass architectural icons are reinvented with each new visionary. --Peggy Moorman

About the Author

Horst Hamann has become famous during the last twenty years for his panoramic photography. His internationally

About this edition

• Publisher: teNeues
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 3823854739
• ISBN 13: 9783823854739
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 168