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Keith Carter: Fifty Years Hardcover – Illustrated, January 22, 2019
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Dubbed a “poet of the ordinary” by the Los Angeles Times, photographer Keith Carter came of age during the turbulent ‘60s and ‘70s, developing a singular, haunting style that captures both the grit and the glory of the human spirit. Showcasing a broad array of his work—which has been shown in more than one hundred solo exhibitions in thirteen countries—Keith Carter: Fifty Years spans delicate, century-old processes as well as digital-age techniques to yield an enduring vision of the world around us.
The interlaced images in Keith Carter: Fifty Years feature contrasts of natural light and darkness as we explore the mythos of time and terrain, the familiar and the magical, and the varied creatures that inhabit our earth. The human form—depleted or energized, solitary or with a beloved partner—becomes a meditation on aging and loss, which have affected Carter profoundly in recent years. Yet these losses have spurred in him a sense of discovery, not despair. Rather than arranging the works chronologically, Carter chose to group them into correlations, echoing the kaleidoscopic effect of memory. The result is mesmerizing; each artifact draws us into an experience of intensity and wonder, enduring long after the page is turned.
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity of Texas Press
- Publication dateJanuary 22, 2019
- Dimensions10.5 x 1.4 x 12.75 inches
- ISBN-101477318011
- ISBN-13978-1477318010
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Photographer Keith Carter has spent his life revealing the magical in the mundane…the results, as readers of this book will see, are anything but ordinary. ― The Texas Observer Published On: 2018-12-12
Many of [Carter's] most haunting photos explore the invisible links between humans and beasts: A boy hugs his horse goodbye after it’s sold, a Mississippi man sees a litter of kittens as his family, and a distraught woman discovers that a fox found its way into her henhouse. Each portrait presents a puzzle to viewers, who must attempt to discover for themselves what it is about this certain image that makes it so poignant. ― Zócalo Public Square Published On: 2019-05-14
Fifty Years is epic in size and scale…This book holds pleasures for those who are familiar with [Carter's] work and those who aren't. ― PhotoBook Journal Published On: 2019-05-14
[Keith Carter: Fifty Years] signals another rite of passage for the artist. ― Glasstire Published On: 2019-10-24
[Keith Carter: Fifty Years] is a retrospective of a half century's worth of compelling images. Alternating between the haunting and surreal, and the tender and intimate, Carter's work amounts to visual poetry. ― Pasatiempo Published On: 2019-12-06
[Keith Carter: Fifty Years] takes readers on a visual journey through a dream world that Carter often captures in the quiet realities of daily life around his adopted east Texas hometown of Beaumont. ― Digital Photo Pro Published On: 2019-12-18
This stunning 320-page monograph includes work that spans from antiquated processes to digital techniques, all of which connect us deeper to the discovery of magic in the world surrounding us. ― Black & White Photography Published On: 2020-05-01
About the Author
Keith Carter holds the Endowed Walles Chair in Fine Arts at Lamar University and is the recipient of a 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Award. His twelve previous books include From Uncertain to Blue and A Certain Alchemy, which is also the title of a documentary film about Carter. His work is held in numerous collections from coast to coast, from the National Gallery of Art to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Wittliff Collections’ Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection.
Product details
- Publisher : University of Texas Press; Illustrated edition (January 22, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1477318011
- ISBN-13 : 978-1477318010
- Item Weight : 6.1 pounds
- Dimensions : 10.5 x 1.4 x 12.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,085 in Individual Photographers
- #3,901 in Photograpy Equipment & Techniques
- #7,229 in Individual Artists (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the photography in the book beautiful and brilliantly presented. They describe it as an outstanding collection from a master photographer worth owning. The content is great, though some images are blurry.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers appreciate the book's photography quality. They find the images beautiful and brilliantly presented. The photographs have a Southern Gothic quality, and the book itself is beautifully printed.
"...fan, but I can honestly say that this is truly an outstanding photography book. It is a compendium of 50 years of Carter's work...." Read more
"This compilation of Carter’s work is brilliantly presented...." Read more
"Love the book, love the photographer. Beautifully done and lots of new images." Read more
"Absolutely loved it!! Always Love his photos! He is an amazing artist, great person and was a great professor!" Read more
Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say it's an outstanding collection from a contemporary photographer worth owning. The content is great, though some images are blurry.
"...am a Kieth Carter fan, but I can honestly say that this is truly an outstanding photography book. It is a compendium of 50 years of Carter's work...." Read more
"Love the book, love the photographer. Beautifully done and lots of new images." Read more
"A body of work worth owning!..." Read more
"Great content, blurry images...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Beautiful book but arrived damaged
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019I am a Kieth Carter fan, but I can honestly say that this is truly an outstanding photography book. It is a compendium of 50 years of Carter's work. If you have other of his books you have probably seen many of these photos, but to have so many in one book and so large a format makes this book more that desirable for a collection.
A little plug for Amazon here: I like the pre-order deal where you order before release date at a specific price, and if it goes lower before it is shipped you pay the new lower price, but if the price at release is higher you are only charged at the lower pre-order price. I pre-ordered this book from Amazon a month before it was released for $29.00. It is now about $41 on release and has an MSRP price in the dust jacket at $65.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019This compilation of Carter’s work is brilliantly presented. Anyone who is already familiar with Carter’s work will be presently surprised by its presentation. Additionally, the essays provide an insightful view on the value of Carter’s career.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019Love the book, love the photographer. Beautifully done and lots of new images.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2020Absolutely loved it!! Always Love his photos! He is an amazing artist, great person and was a great professor!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019He is one of my all time favorite photographers and this book didn't change my opinion of him. Very happy I bought it.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2022A NEW purchase from Amazon, the book itself is large and beautifully printed and Carter's photographs have a gorgeous Southern Gothic quality, but the book was not shrink-wrapped and was crammed into a box just big enough to hold it, so it arrived with a torn dust-jacket, immediately devaluing it (see photo). Five stars for the book, one star for Amazon, average three stars.
3.0 out of 5 starsA NEW purchase from Amazon, the book itself is large and beautifully printed and Carter's photographs have a gorgeous Southern Gothic quality, but the book was not shrink-wrapped and was crammed into a box just big enough to hold it, so it arrived with a torn dust-jacket, immediately devaluing it (see photo). Five stars for the book, one star for Amazon, average three stars.Beautiful book but arrived damaged
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2022
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019A truly amazing body of work that is filled with humanity and genius.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2019This book offers a visually compelling overview of Keith Carter’s photography — haunting and beautiful!
Top reviews from other countries
- GerryReviewed in Canada on July 17, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book!!
Wonderful Book by an amazing photographer!
One person found this helpfulReport - John GitshamReviewed in Australia on January 4, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
Wonderful photography from a brilliant photographer.
- PuzzleReviewed in Australia on April 23, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Images - Poorly Presented
There are many images in this book. Many are large. Way too many are printed over two pages and therefore quite diminished in effectiveness. Why do artists and publishers do this so often? Instead of a portrait format, make the book a landscape format and give the photographs the space they deserve. Elsewhere in the book often two large photographs butt up against each other and, because there is no white space around them, one side of each disappears into the spine of the book. An example of getting it right is Nick Brandt's On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, where each photograph has it's clear space in each page, the only times photographs cross over two pages is where the images are panoramic. Really a pity.