Svetlana Alpers is professor emerita of history of art at the University of California, Berkeley, and a visiting scholar in art history at New York University. Her many books include The Art of Describing, The Vexations of Art, and Roof Life. She lives in New York City and France.
"Alpers’s interest in the ‘unique’ work of Walker Evans is an
interest in the ‘making’ of the photographs rather than in their
interpretation: her approach is slow, patient, fastidious,
detail-oriented, appreciative and illuminating. . . . It is really
Starting from Scratch that is a ‘unique’ work: a close reading of
classic photographs by a discerning eye (Alpers’s) that conjoins
the instructional with the intimate, the scholarship of the
historian with the candour of the memoirist. . . . A brilliant and,
indeed, thrilling final chapter . . . considers the phenomenon of
‘late style’ as it relates to artists other than Walker
Evans"---Joyce Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement
"Warm and sympathetic . . . really a wonderful biography."---Joyce
Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement Podcast
"[A] superb book."---Richard Meyer, Artforum
"Starting From Scratch is well researched, and Alpers’s heavily
quotational approach provides the reader a wealth of material from
Evans’s letters, lectures, published texts, and personal
writings."---Rahel Aima, The Nation
"Svetlana Alpers’s biography takes a chronological approach to the
life of an artist. . . . But before the text explores Walker’s
aspirations, tastes, travels, career highs and love of the written
word, the reader is presented with an uninterrupted 143 full-page
reproductions of Evans’s photographs—an invitation to appraise the
work before engaging with the man."
*Christie's*
"[A] brilliant scholar of Dutch painting’s take on an artist whose
work has moved and inspired me for years."---Ayad Akhtar,
Elle.com
"A fresh consideration of Evans’s pictures. . . .
Engaging."---Brian Sholis, Aperture
"A fresh, scholarly look—complete with more than 200 images—at the
seminal American photographer, this time through the lens of fine
art and literature. In a lavishly illustrated narrative bolstered
by impassioned research, art historian Alpers reintroduces readers
to Walker Evans (1903-1975), one of America’s great artistic
observers . . . Alpers convincingly presents him as a new kind of
poet. . . . Great American photography in a welcome new frame."
*Kirkus Reviews*
"A comprehensive study. . . . Alpers shows how Evans’s approach
differed both from that of other photographers and from
conventional assumptions about photography. . . . Intriguing
interpretations of Evans’s photos and work process, for both
specialists and general readers."
*Library Journal*
"An entire semester in one volume. . . . [Alpers's] analysis of
Evans’ artistic life will not disappoint. . . . This biography
affectionately reads like a lecture series, with professor Alpers
nudging students to close-read the 143 black/white Evans photos
conveniently placed at the book’s beginning."---Jean Bundy,
Anchorage Press
"In Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch, art historian Svetlana
Alpers explores the prominent 20th century documentary
photographer’s work and creative process. Though one might usually
consider photography to be a graphic art like painting, Alpers
examines Evans’ love of text and the relationship between his
images and works by writers including Flaubert, Baudelaire, and
Faulkner, making the compelling case that literature is at the
heart of his work. The book features 170 of Evans’s photos, but the
main reason to get Starting from Scratch is to learn more about the
artist’s way of seeing the world and rediscover his work with fresh
eyes."
*Photo Life Magazine*
"[Alpers] takes a vivid, fresh look at the remarkable photographer
whose well-known work on cities and on American rural poverty
resonates today. But there is much more to see, and say. Many of
the 143 plates will not be familiar, and Alpers interprets them in
the context of international literature and art, inviting 'those
who don’t know Evans [to] discover his greatness,' and ranking
photographic achievement with literature and painting of the
highest quality."
*Harvard Magazine*
"[Walker Evans] is finely tuned and thoroughly researched, carving
out a unique space by focusing on Evans's lifelong emphasis on the
art of seeing. . . . Highlighting groundbreaking cultural events,
artists, and historical moments, including both world wars, the
1960s, and multiple cultural renaissances throughout Europe and the
US, Alpers energetically writes about the people, places, and
events that were continuous sources of influence and inspiration
for Evans. . . . Highly recommended."
*Choice*
"This 213-page book provides depth and breadth about Evans’ work.
Readers . . . who are curious about what drove Walker Evans to
create, and to learn about what influenced him and what
distinguishes him from other 20th Century photographers as it
evolved will no doubt enjoy Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch.
"---Caryn Hoffman, Picture this Post
"In this extensive and detailed biography . . . the reader is
presented with a new perspective on Walker Evans’s work, rendering
the presumed familiar unfamiliar in a decidedly nuanced and
enjoyable way."
*ARLIS/NA Reviews*
"[A] learned, suggestive, and handsome work. Alpers studies Evans’s
work employing the techniques used to critique paintings: by
assessing how he framed his scenes, in the light of his printed
statements and off-the-cuff remarks. Her most illuminating is the
theme of detail. She focuses on what Evans focused on."---Allen D.
Boyer, Key Reporter
"Insightful."---Stuart Mitchner, Town Topics
"Alpers’ book on Walker Evans begins, after a half title page, with
reproductions of 143 of Evans’ photographs . . . a silently
eloquent way to say: the pictures come first. . . . Alpers focuses
on [Evans’s] profound connection to French culture, literary in the
first place . . . and then photographic . . . to show how 'Evans
always viewed his country as if from the outside and often with an
ironic eye.'"---Barry Schwabsky, Tourniquereview.com
"This is a rich and thoughtful study of Evans’s life and his
“furtive, passionate looking”. . . . A wonderfully insightful
discussion of Evans’s key role in the creation of a distinctively
American photography and the way great photographs can change how
we see the world."---PD Smith, The Guardian
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