First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography

New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery, 2008. Hardcover. VG- ex-museum library copy with bookplate and catalogue number sticker, light wear to edges and corners.. BW-photographic and red boards. Clear plastic and black dust jacket. 216 pp. BW and color illustrations. Exhibition held at Yale University Art Gallery, October 7, 2008 through January 4, 2009. "Many photographers have been intrigued with the baffling distortions—both subtle and disquieting—that can occur when the camera "captures" the real world. Not always intentional, some images dazzle with impossible juxtapositions or disorienting spatial orders, while others confound the viewer's belief in the documentary promise of photography. Drawn from the highly respected collection of Allan Chasanoff, the photographs in this intriguing volume confront viewers with the challenge of doubt and confusion in so-called "straight" pictures. Featured are perceptually provocative images by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Clarence John Laughlin, Imogen Cunningham, and Lee Friedlander, among others. The book's essays raise awareness of the interpretive nature of the lens and the interpolative nature of the medium."--Publisher description.