architectural

The title of this marvellous book is a little misleading, it should be 'The Modern Architectural Photographs of Ezra Stoller'. The actual title 'Modern Architecture' implies that it might be a history of the subject. There are 164 large, beautifully printed, photos of what he considers his best work and 223 smaller photos, many of which have his (fascinating) comments about the architects and the buildings. The majority of the photos are in black and white (thirty-four in color) and somehow this seems as it should be, mid-century Modernist architecture has a visual simplicity that works best in tones of grey and black, I feel.

William Saunders essay explains how Stoller originally trained as an architect and this is probably the reason why he can take such stunning photos of buildings. One reason I like his work is because the main object of the photo always seems naturally framed within the photo area, another is that many of the photos have strong shapes which create an abstract feel to them, helped, of course, by being in black and white. Even when curves are involved Stoller still delivers, two knockout photos of Saarinen's TWA terminal (pages 120-121) remind me of the chromed tube sculpture of Jose DeRivera.

A couple of book design flaws I found slightly annoying, firstly, some of the page numbers are missing on the three commentary sections where Stoller comments on the architects and buildings and secondly, none of the captions indicate when the photos were taken. Although not a design flaw I would have expected to see at least one photo of Mr Stoller in this book, the blank space opposite the title page would have been the obvious place.

Stoller seemed to have concentrated on photographing modern buildings in the east of the US, the west was covered by Julius Shulman and you can see some lovely examples of his work, especially private houses, in 'Julius Shulman. Architecture and its Photography', edited by Peter Gossel.

This handsome coffee table book describes modern architecture not by words but by photographs taken thru the lens of Ezra Stoller, who is fortunate enough to work with many superarchitects of the 20th century. Most of the buildings covered were taken in United States & many of them were in black & white format. The book started with an essay written by William Saunders, explaining to readers why Ezra's work is a cut above the rest of other photographers'. William commented that Ezra opted to have the buildings did the talking rather than glorifying the buildings by using camera tricks, or conveying them in arty forms. The main reason why Ezra was captivated by modern architecture is due to its celebration of form, space, depth, simplicity, & timeless appeal. Ezra also made sure that photographs taken were in context with its surroundings. At times, his works were depicted in poignant manner, at times, poetic, & occasionally witty. What readers might not realise was the extent of preparations Ezra & his assistant went into ensuring the photographs taken of the subjects were what he intended in his imagination. Notes provided by Ezra himself describing his favourite photographs were interesting to read, gave us a glimpse of the architects' thought upon their own works. The book was ended with notes, bibliography, & index. A brilliant book to have, & a book that you would refer to again & again. Highly recommended.

This is really an art book. The photographs are art. The buildings are art. They are simple, elegant, graceful, efficient, and drop-dead beautiful (I'm referring here to both the pictures and the architecture). They are monuments to the clear concentrated thought of man.