"Arthur Tress (b. 1940) is a singular figure in the landscape of postwar American photography. His seminal series, The Dream Collector, depicts Tress's interests in dreams, nightmares, fantasies, and the unconscious and established him as one of the foremost proponents of magical realism at a time when few others were doing staged photography.
This volume presents the first critical look at Tress's early career, contextualizing the highly imaginative, fantastic work he became known for while also examining his other interrelated series: Appalachia: People and Places,; Open Space in the Inner City,; Shadow,;and Theater of the Mind. James A. Ganz, Mazie M. Harris, and Paul Martineau plumb Tress's work and archives, studying ephemera, personal correspondence, unpublished notes, diaries, contact sheets, and more to uncover how he went from earning his living as a social documentarian in Appalachia to producing surreal work of ""imaginative fiction."" This abundantly illustrated volume imparts a fuller understanding of Tress's career and the New York photographic scene of the 1960s and 1970s.
“Along with several others of his cohort, Arthur Tress spearheaded the resurgence of the directorial mode in the 1970s, as well as his generation's engagement with previously taboo subject matter. With his unique blend of documentary and surrealist approaches, he has made a major contribution to his medium.”—A. D. Coleman, photography critic and historian"
Contributions by:
Mazie M. Harris,
Paul Martineau
Edited by:
James A. Ganz
Imprint: J. Paul Getty Museum
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 279mm,
Width: 241mm,
ISBN: 9781606068618
ISBN 10: 160606861X
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 21 November 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword - Timothy Potts The Photograph as Magical Image - Arthur Tress Arthur Tress, Dreams and Variations, 1968-1978 - James A. Ganz Crossroads: Arthur Tress in Appalachia - Mazie M. Harris Open Space in the Inner City - James A. Ganz The Dream Collector - James A. Ganz The Enigma of the Shadow - Paul Martineau All the World Is a Stage - Paul Martineau Plates Postscript - Arthur Tress Plate List Bibliography Acknowledgments Biographical Notes Index
James A. Ganz is senior curator in the Department of Photography at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Reviews for Arthur Tress: Rambles, Dreams, and Shadows
"""From poignant studies of the country's Appalachian communities to the urban wreckages and disused spaces of New York, the publication reveals the emergence of Tress's unique visual language, culminating in the dreamscapes and Surrealistic portraits of The Dream Collector (1972) and Theater of the Mind (1976), two early landmark series.""--Rowland Bagnall ""The Art Newspaper"" (1/3/2024 12:00:00 AM) ""Along with several others of his cohort, Arthur Tress spearheaded the resurgence of the directorial mode in the 1970s, as well as his generation's engagement with previously taboo subject matter. With his unique blend of documentary and surrealist approaches, he has made a major contribution to his medium."" --A. D. Coleman, photography critic and historian"
