Kolor
As an editorial and commercial photographer and a member of the prestigious Magnum Photos, Elliott Erwitt worked regularly with both color and black-and-white film. To most admirers, however, he is probably best known for his black-and-white images. From frames of dogs to pictures of everyday life on the street, Erwitt鈥檚 wry wit defines his work in black-and-white film.
But Erwitt鈥檚 newest book, Kolor, named as a small tribute to George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Co., provides a broader scope to showcase Erwitt鈥檚 signature style. Using images taken from Erwitt鈥檚 personal and advertising archive of Kodachrome and Ektachrome slides, 鈥淜olor鈥� presents a sly and subtle collection of images.
The layout of the images allows the viewer to move smoothly across a variety of subjects and locations 鈥� from shots of Marilyn Monroe on the set of 鈥淭he Misfits鈥� to wedding celebrations in Siberia. The large format of the book works well with Erwitt鈥檚 often larger-than-life scenes, like the eclectic and whimsical group portrait set as an advertisement for French tourism and the unexpected head of a lion positioned at the wheel of a car in California.
鈥淜olor鈥� provides a fresh view on the lifework of a much beloved photographer. This is accomplished not just through the introduction of color, but also in the subtlety of Erwitt鈥檚 style as seen in the images. As Erwitt himself explains in the book: 鈥淐olor is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.鈥�
Ann Hermes聽is a Monitor staff photographer.
