Lipkin’s Photography Reborn
is a nicely illustrated survey of the use of digital photography in art.  The
text accompanying the pictures is straightforward and clear, and there is not
much of it.  Lipkin explains what digital photography is and how the images can
be manipulated using computer programs, so that it often lacks the direct
correspondence between the image and reality that we expect from conventional
photography.  He uses many examples, including works by Tibor Kalman, Daniel Lee, Nancy Burson, Chris Dorley-Brown, Jason Salavon, and Meg Cranston. 
The work of other photographers depicts the world in ways that are also
unconventional, yet might be thought to in some ways show reality in a new and
more profound way: images from science are prime examples, and there is also
the spectacular work of Andreas Gursky.

The discussion of human portraiture
is especially interesting.  Many artists use digital photography to distort the
images of the human body: Lipkin includes Susan Silton, Paul Thorel,
Thomas Ruff, Dieter Huber, and Maki Kawakita. 
Other artists create whole new people; for example, Keith Cottingham has
a series of fictitious portraits, and HoriPro, Inc created Kyoko Date, a virtual pop
star.  These works are striking for the technical creativity and surprising
realism. 

Lipkin devotes three chapters to
artists who use digital technology to create visually surprising and fantastic
images.  The book has many illustrations, and of these,  Loretta Lux’s pictures of children and the
images of Aziz & Cucher
playing with human skin as a covering are wonderful and rather disturbing
examples.  The "Action Half
Life" series of AES+F is also very striking. The final chapter
discusses digital photography as documentary, and refreshingly discusses the
webcam phenomenon such as Jennifer Ringley’s Jennicam.org and the sexual
self-photography of Natacha Merritt.

Lipkin’s text does not advance any
strong aesthetic claims about digital work, but it is full of enthusiasm.  Its
main use will be to introduce readers to previously unfamiliar artists.  Photography
Reborn is worth checking out.

© 2006 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews.  His main
research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography