First edition, first impression of Des oiseaux by Michael Kenna. Large format hardback in new condition.
About
The tranquil countryside invites contemplation, with its low skylines, skies carved through rooftops, and low-angle views of the peaks of autumnal trees. And so, the birds hover, draw aerial figures in fleecy skies, and patiently wait on branches. Hanging mid-flight: time freezes, becomes immutable. Gradations of grey, tones with a slight sepia bend, and depth of field give Michael Kenna’s photographs a certain melancholy. The world is silent. The incessant changes of celestial matter, the thickness, the brilliancyor the fluidityof the light give the impression that the duration of appearance has been suspended. The birds become palpable, their being in the world is enchanting. Like paintings from the great classical tradition, Kenna’s bird photographs reveal a nature devoid of any human presence and where only birds reign.
