Overview
From journeys through various countries to New Zealand's transformation in the last half century, this is a riveting and comprehensive look at the work of photographer Marti Friedlander. Showing how this distinguished artist has not only recorded the places, events, and personalities of recent history, this engaging study also demonstrates how she brings subjectivity, empathy, and a distinctive eye to her subjects. From her arrival in New Zealand as a Jewish immigrant from England in 1958, this biography proves how her photographs—whether of artists, writers, protests, or street scenes—have consistently drawn out the key human dynamics of conflict, ambivalence, anger, and warmth. Beautifully illustrated amidst a world of throwaway images, this monograph provides evidence of how a sustained, inquiring, and attentive perspective for both the photographer and viewers can lead to new truths.Reviews
Praise for Leonard Bell's Colonial Constructs [A] first rate piece of cultural history . . . informed throughout by a sophisticated understanding of representaton. - Alex Calder, Evening Post 'penetrating analysis of the symbolic meanings underlying European artistic representations of Maori New Zealand . . . a worthwhile read for students of history as much as the artistic fraterntiy. - Ranginiui walker, Sunday StarAuthor Biography
Leonard Bell is an associate professor of art history at the University of Auckland. He is on the international advisory board of art history and the editorial advisory committees of the Journal of New Zealand Art History and the Journal of New Zealand Studies. He is the author of Colonial Constructs: European Images of Maori, 1840-1914 and The Maori in European Art.