Review: The critic Brian Dillon’s new book, like his previous ones, is teeming with oddities and insights, and illustrates the hold that images have on us
Of course, the book is not exactly haphazard. Dillon gravitates toward montages, collages and portraits, and he has a penchant for underappreciated female artists, among them the German Dadaist Hannah Höch and the austere modern architect Eileen Gray. But not all of the entries in “Affinities” are so easily classified. One photograph depicts women worshiping in a charismatic congregation, their arms raised heavenward, their expressions ecstatic.
There is little theory in “Affinities,” but there is a delicious glut of affinities, both between images and between Dillon’s many vibrant characters. The astronomer who produced an image of wispy nebulae reappears as the friend of an eccentric Victorian photographer in the habit of walking “her houseguests to the railway station with a cup of tea in her hand”; the French philosopher who had an affair with a surrealist photographer returns to print eerie pictures of sea creatures in his journal.
A record of fascinations is at risk of careening into self-indulgence, but “Affinities” is also a record of absorptions, both Dillon’s and those of the artists he loves. It’s no coincidence that he is so keen on figures blurring into their surroundings, as in Louis Daguerre’s “Vue du Boulevard du Temple” , which captures a flâneur in motion fading into the scenery of the street.
This is as good a statement as any of the guiding ethic of “Affinities,” which zooms in on everyday images to reveal their secret succulence. Dillon’s forays into what he calls “the mundane miracle of looking” are both impenetrably personal and so rigorously attentive to the external world that the critic sometimes seems to dissolve into the art.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says bank earnings this week proved the system workedMegabank CEO says U.S. banks reported 'good earnings across the board' this week in a sign of health after 'disruption' from Silicon Valley Bank
Read more »
Meet Jon Welch and Brian Moore, candidates for Lamar CISD's District 5 trustee seatIncumbent Jon Welch and challenger Brian Moore are running for Lamar CISD's District 5...
Read more »
The Office Season 9's Brian Twist Failed (But Not Because Of Jim & Pam)The Office's Brian Wittle plot is arguably the sitcom's most hated storyline, but despite what fans might think, this is not because of Jim and Pam.
Read more »
2023 Toyota Sienna minivan review: Good gas mileage, a lot of room2023 Toyota Sienna minivan review. We take the 2023 Toyota Sienna on a road trip to test its fuel efficiency in the review.
Read more »
Cardano's (ADA) 'Diamond' Support Might Launch 16% Rally: Details$ADA could be on recovery path after reaching a solid support level, while $XRP is plummeting down and $DOGE is facing upward
Read more »
Requests from Saskatoon crime victims and advocates for case updates will be directed to Victim ServicesThe change followed a review of a public complaint made earlier this year. yxe
Read more »