A Thousand Crossings

A Thousand Crossings is a photography book and retrospective of Sally Mann's work spanning four decades of her career. The collection focuses on her photographs of the American South, featuring both landscape and portraiture. The book contains five sections that explore different aspects of Mann's relationship with the South through her images. Her black-and-white photographs capture themes of family, death, decay, memory and the complex history of her native Virginia and surrounding states. The accompanying essays by curators Sarah Greenough and Sarah Kennel provide context for Mann's artistic process and evolution. The text examines how Mann's work intersects with Southern literature, the Civil War, race relations, and the region's relationship with the past. Mann's images confront difficult truths about identity, place, and history while maintaining an underlying reverence for the Southern landscape. The work suggests that beauty and darkness can coexist, as Mann documents both the grace and the weight of her homeland's complex legacy.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Sally Mann's overall work: Readers find Mann's work raw and unflinching, particularly in her memoir "Hold Still" and her controversial family photographs. Many note her lyrical writing style and ability to examine difficult subjects like death, family, and the American South. Likes: - Detailed technical descriptions of photographic processes - Personal revelations about her family history - Documentation of Southern culture and landscapes - Complex handling of race relations and privilege Dislikes: - Some readers object to Mann's nude photographs of her children - Writing can be meandering and overly descriptive - Questions about consent and exploitation in her work - Perceived self-absorption in her narratives Ratings: Goodreads: "Hold Still" - 4.2/5 (14,000+ ratings) Amazon: "Hold Still" - 4.6/5 (800+ reviews) "Immediate Family" - 4.7/5 (90+ reviews) Common reader comment: "Makes you think deeply about art, ethics, and family relationships while pushing boundaries of comfort."

Hold Still by Sally Mann A memoir delving into family history, mortality, and the American South through both text and photography.

The Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata An exploration of truth in art through the lens of creative nonfiction and documentary.

On Photography by Susan Sontag A collection of essays examining photography's role in shaping memory, history, and perception.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee Text and photographs document the lives of Southern tenant farmers during the Great Depression.

Family Pictures by Sue Miller A narrative of family relationships and generational bonds told through interconnected stories and images.

📚 Sally Mann's photographs in "A Thousand Crossings" were taken exclusively in the American South, spanning over 40 years of her career. 🎞️ Mann uses antique cameras and a 19th-century wet-plate collodion process, giving her images their distinctive, haunting quality. 🏆 The book accompanied a major exhibition that traveled to six museums, including the National Gallery of Art and the Getty Center. 🌳 Many of Mann's landscapes in the book deliberately address the South's complex history with racial violence, photographing locations where Civil War battles and lynchings occurred. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The family portraits featured in "A Thousand Crossings" caused controversy when first exhibited in the 1990s, sparking debates about art, privacy, and parenthood in photography.