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Alex Webb: Istanbul | 
 enlarge | Author: Orhan Pamuk
Creator: Alex Webb
Publisher: Aperture
Category: Book
Buy Used: $98.90
Used (5) Collectible (3) from $98.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 295459
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 136
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 12 x 10.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 1597110345
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.6180222
EAN: 9781597110341
ASIN: 1597110345
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Title in very good condition. Thousands of satisfied customers!
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Product Description
In Istanbul: City of a Hundred Names, Magnum photographer Alex Webb displays his particular ability to distill gesture, color and contrasting cultural tensions into a single, beguiling frame. He presents a vision of Istanbul as an urban cultural center, rich with the incandescence of its past--a city of minarets and pigeons rising to the heavens during the early-morning call to Muslim prayers--yet also a city riddled with ATM machines and clothed in designer jeans. Webb began photographing Istanbul in 1998, and became instantly enthralled: by the people, the layers of culture and history, the richness of street life. But what particularly drew him in was a sense of Istanbul as a border city, lying between Europe and Asia. "For 30-some years as a photographer, I have been intrigued by borders, places where cultures come together, sometimes easily, sometimes roughly." The resulting body of work, some of Webb's strongest to date, conveys the frisson of a culture in transition, yet firmly rooted in a complex history. With essay by the Nobel Prize winning novelist, Orhan Pamuk.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Great purchase May 8, 2008
THis book was a impromptu buy! None the less I love it. IT came in great condition and I would buy from person again as well as something else from this photographer.
A Phenomenally Skilled Artist Who Lacks Warmth December 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
With "Istanbul" Alex Webb seems to be hitting an apex in his style. It is amazing. All of his photos are complex juxtapositions of humans in their environment. His color is too saturated for my taste (detail is obliterated in his shadows), but I see what he is doing, and it works toward that end.
But do I see what he is doing?
I've never been to Istanbul, but I certainly don't feel like I've been there through this book. (The essay by Orhan Pamuk has zero to do with the images. Add a generic essay about Istanbul by the city's most famous author and it will help sell a book of photos that is, well, maybe more about the photographer than the city ... ) Is there a single happy face in this book? I've only seen grim, suspicious looks. Is that Istanbul, or is that Webb?
Webb's strength is as a visual puzzle master. A technique that he has perfected here is his use of capturing images in mirrors and reflections. It is all confusion and dislocation, done supremely well -- as photo-surrealism. But "warmth" is not an adjective to be used in any way to describe his images, other than their saturated reds. (Even those offer heat rather than comfort.)
I see this book as a fantastic tool for discussion of composition. It isn't a book to get to know Istanbul or humanity -- but maybe a great way to get to know Alex Webb.
A powerful set of full-page, full-color images goes far beyond the usual city focus to capture Istanbul's crossroads cultures. September 3, 2007
Alex Webb's photographs reflect a powerful set of images revolving around Istanbul's culture and peoples, and is a top pick for any collection strong in the region's history and culture, from art libraries to general-interest collections. Both traditional and contemporary culture come to life in a volume which reveals Istanbul's attractions as a rich urban cultural center. A powerful set of full-page, full-color images goes far beyond the usual city focus to capture Istanbul's crossroads cultures.
 Perplexing- Didn't meet my high hopes. August 16, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've tried, I've really tried, but I just can't bring myself to like this book. I get what he's trying to do here, but it doesn't stir any emotion in me. My friend, who studied under Minor White and lives in Istanbul, also said that it does not show anything unique about Istanbul, but that he makes it look like any other city.
I'm a photographer and Istanbul is one of my favorite destinations to shoot street photography. Perhaps my idea of Istanbul is much too different. What I would really like to see is an updated version of Ara Guler's book titled Istanbul. He's also a Magnum photographer, and he did a very good job probably about 30 years or more ago.
Also the Orhan Pamuk essay was just taken from Orhan's book Istanbul. Nothing new there.
One of the Great Street Photography Books July 20, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I visited Istanbul in 1988, almost 20 years ago. It was a visit that left me in awe of the uniqueness, beauty and complexity of this historic and important city. It is a great pleasure to have revisited Istanbul, this time not actually, but through exceptional photographs of Alex Webb.
The photographs are not only evocative of the real life of the streets, but are depictions of people going about the daily lives with very little awareness of their being photographed. Alex Webb's level of skill in composition and timing is of the highest order. His ability to work unnoticed is incredible.
The photographs are followed by a most thought provoking essay by Nobel Laureat and Istanbul resident Orhan Pamuk. I found the text so interesting that I have ordered his book on Istanbul as well.
Be aware that Alex Webb's photos have remarkable visual richness, with multiple layers of foreground and background. The possess great vibrancy of colour, honestly caught human expression and a busy city's sense of action and movement. I would recommend spending some time on each photo to draw out the vast offering of information and emotion within each one.
Well worth the purchase; particularly if you have visited Istanbul, or long to go there.
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