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"This book offers an opportunity to witness the evolution of Araki's work as understood by the artist himself." -THE Magazine
."..An unflinching leer into urban Japan's unique sexual underworld." -Nerve.com
"He possesses the almost magical ability to transform the most mundane details into objects of fascination, to impregnate them with a raw sexual energy.... This mischievous photographer provokes viewers with images of the female form that are often oddly sensuous and objective at the same time, both erotica and cerebral. Ultimately, Araki presents us with a puzzle: the naked human psyche itself." -The Japan Times
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Some may see this a purely porn or photographs by a dirty old man.
Well, he IS a dirtly old man, but what he has managed to do, and what photography is all about; is to capturte a moment in time and to give it a place in history and tell a story, all in one.
His images can be stark and crude but we need people like him to tell us what goes on in the world.
These 'goings on' would still have happened and we would never have known, and for that, Mr Araki; I salute you!
Well, he IS a dirtly old man, but what he has managed to do, and what photography is all about; is to capturte a moment in time and to give it a place in history and tell a story, all in one.
His images can be stark and crude but we need people like him to tell us what goes on in the world.
These 'goings on' would still have happened and we would never have known, and for that, Mr Araki; I salute you!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Not for readers unfamiliar with Araki's work
26 Nov 2003
Format:Paperback
This is (as the title states)the photographer's personal selection of photographs from different bodies of work amassed over a 40 yr period. It's interesting to see work from his early days (even his commercial photos done while working for an advertising agency)and to see how much Araki was influenced by photographers like Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank and William Klein. I cannot recommend however as introduction to Araki's oeuvre. All the photographs are taken out of context of their original books/project and there is only minimal commentary by Araki on select photos and no introductory or explanatory essays to help one understand the complexity and scope of Araki's work and personality.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Araki's personal offering. Fascinating, but not the place to start for new viewers.
30 Jan 2008
Format:Paperback
Araki by Araki is an interesting collection selected by the man himself for his 63rd birthday. This makes the book both incredibly interesting for those already familiar with Araki and a poor choice for those unfamiliar with his work. These pictures are very personal for Araki for reasons not really explained, but first-time viewers would do well to start with a collection that contains more of his classics.
The photographs are arranged chronologically, which allows us to see the evolution of his aesthetic over the course of his long career. This is rather unique, as most other collections are grouped by theme or some other organizational scheme. It's not necessarily better per se, but it is unique.
Another interesting aspect of this collection is that some of the photographs are presented retouched, as Araki tends to do. In the Taschen collection, the pictures appear as they do on the film negative, but as we know, Araki tends to paint over his pictures - both to add vital color to some of his monochromes (which he describes as death), and to self-censore some of the more explicit areas. Its quite interesting to compare the originals with the retouched versions, so that will doubtlessly be of interest to connoisseurs.
Also on the note of censorship, I noticed at least two instances of cloudy pixillation - very minor - but this is probably due to the Japanese publisher and their rather strict guidelines.
Finally, a word on the commentary. I was disappointed to find very minimal commentary spanning only two pages. Araki provides two or three sentences on maybe 60% (or less) of the photographs within. If you're buying this for the commentary, I'd think twice. He doesn't say much in these fragments that he doesn't also say in the excellent documentary "Arakimentary." Since the commentary is so minimal, an introductory essay would have been nice. I don't think Westerners such as myself can fully understand Araki's aesthetic without at least a little cultural context. Everything I've read on Araki directly translates into more viewing pleasure and I'm fairly sure that would be the case for anyone.
This is not a huge collection like the ones available from Taschen or Phaidon, but for the collector, this is an interesting volume, if only to see which pictures Araki feels the deepest personal connection to. You do get many many photographs, but they tend to be small (his massive "Tokyo Lucky Hole" is summarized on two pages!!), so I wouldn't necessarily buy this for the reproductions alone. While the image quality is very acceptable, I'd rather have fewer, bigger reproductions. Regardless, I highly recommend it to collectors. If you decide to make this your first Araki book, just make sure it isn't your last.
The photographs are arranged chronologically, which allows us to see the evolution of his aesthetic over the course of his long career. This is rather unique, as most other collections are grouped by theme or some other organizational scheme. It's not necessarily better per se, but it is unique.
Another interesting aspect of this collection is that some of the photographs are presented retouched, as Araki tends to do. In the Taschen collection, the pictures appear as they do on the film negative, but as we know, Araki tends to paint over his pictures - both to add vital color to some of his monochromes (which he describes as death), and to self-censore some of the more explicit areas. Its quite interesting to compare the originals with the retouched versions, so that will doubtlessly be of interest to connoisseurs.
Also on the note of censorship, I noticed at least two instances of cloudy pixillation - very minor - but this is probably due to the Japanese publisher and their rather strict guidelines.
Finally, a word on the commentary. I was disappointed to find very minimal commentary spanning only two pages. Araki provides two or three sentences on maybe 60% (or less) of the photographs within. If you're buying this for the commentary, I'd think twice. He doesn't say much in these fragments that he doesn't also say in the excellent documentary "Arakimentary." Since the commentary is so minimal, an introductory essay would have been nice. I don't think Westerners such as myself can fully understand Araki's aesthetic without at least a little cultural context. Everything I've read on Araki directly translates into more viewing pleasure and I'm fairly sure that would be the case for anyone.
This is not a huge collection like the ones available from Taschen or Phaidon, but for the collector, this is an interesting volume, if only to see which pictures Araki feels the deepest personal connection to. You do get many many photographs, but they tend to be small (his massive "Tokyo Lucky Hole" is summarized on two pages!!), so I wouldn't necessarily buy this for the reproductions alone. While the image quality is very acceptable, I'd rather have fewer, bigger reproductions. Regardless, I highly recommend it to collectors. If you decide to make this your first Araki book, just make sure it isn't your last.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
crazy smorgasborg
12 July 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Not for the faint-hearted, or those without a sense of humor - but this is a remarkable collection of the notorious photographer's work. Some may find the bondage shots disturbing. If so I recommend watching the DVD "Arakimentary." This will put the whole thing in perspective. Araki is so amusingly solicitous of his models' comfort. His manner is endearing. He photographs EVERYTHING. And he does it well.
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