Mer. Photographies de Pierre Jahan. Preface de A. T'Serstevens. Editions O.E.T., Paris, 1936. First edition. Octavo. Unpaged (4 pp. text + 19 plates). Stiff photo-illustrated wrappers. Black plastic spiral binding. Gravure reproductions.
Included in 802 Photo Books. A selection from the M+M. Auer collection.
There's a micro-genre of (mostly abstract) photography that focuses on bodies of water in various state: Alfred Ehrhardt's Das Watt; Jun Morinaga's River, Its Shadow of Shadows and, of course, Sugimoto's seascapes. The elements of water, rock, light, sand are irresistible as raw material for abstract imagery. An uncommon book.
Pierre Jahan is best known for his poetic, surreal photographs of Paris, including those taken in the aftermath of the war for his collaborative book with Jean Cocteau, La Mort et Les Statues (1946). Though he moved in Surrealist circles and was close to Man Ray, he was for decades a regular contributor to magazines and showed alongside Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis and other greats of the Humanist tradition in documentary.
Near Fine; Spiral binding firmly attached; shallow crease front cover.