What's this? Book review of Yasuhiro Ishimoto's photo book.

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Impressions: Large and heavy book of over 200 photos of Chicago taken from 1960 to 1962. This is one of Ishimoto's masterpiece works.

The book is divided into seven parts. Part 1 shows photos of buildings being torn down, modern high rises, and people on the streets. Later you see facades of buildings, billboard and neon signs, and storefront ads. We have to remember that the photos were taken during the 1960s, so the cars and fashions of the day look quite nostalgic.

Part 2 shows presidential campaign rallies with people holding up placards and posters, and American flags in various places.

Part 3 are mostly images of black children and teens in rundown neighborhoods.

Part 4 are closeup portraits of black children, and Part 5 show summer shots of people at the lakeside beach.

Part 6 are pictures of automobiles. If you like classic cars from the '60s, these photos will be of interest.

Part 7 are surreal compositions of street art and advertising, real-life people, and random scenes. There's also a religious theme.

Unfortunately, there are no photo captions so we don't know the time, place, and occasion of the photos. Although there's text written by Harry Callahan, Shuzo Takiguchi, and Yusaku Kamekura, there is no essay by Ishimoto himself. There must be a lot of anecdotes and stories behind this project and photos, but they are left to our imagination.

700-5