Photographer Alec Soth received International honors in 2004 with his images of life on the Mississippi which became the hit of the Whitney Biennial in New York. That same year, his book, Sleeping by the Mississippi was published to widespread acclaim. “Shot over a period of five years, Sleeping by the Mississippi is a trip along America’s ‘Forgotten Coast’, the neglected bank’s of the country’s longest river.” Soth captures landscapes, interiors and portraits, alluding to religion, race crime, sex and death. He vividly exposes lost hope, loneliness and underlying dreams of the people he meets and photographs.
This series has been ranked with the greatest representations of the United States, including Walker Evan’s photos of the depression and Robert Frank’s harsh vision of the 1950’s.
Bonnie (with a photograph of an angel), Port Gibson, Mississippi 2000
Sugar’s, Davenport, Iowa 2002
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Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh
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I happened to come across a great site today which features cover art for many vintage paperback novels, otherwise known as pulp fiction. I now realize why there is such a huge demand by collectors who pay big bucks for these softbound vintage books published from 1938 to 1968. It’s because of the wonderful and dramatic cover art which usually featured sexy dames, lust-driven hussies, evil phantoms and all those wicked subjects considered taboo. In this article covering the subject, Pulp Friction, Kelly Luker writes,
“Vintage Paperbacks reflected the era’s attitude toward sex and women, yet they also were quick to capitalize on society’s fears and prejudice.”
I’m fascinated and enthralled by these covers. The creativity and wild imagination of the artists who created them is nothing like the covers of romance novels seen in bookstores today. (click on thumbnails to see larger images.)
