John Cohen: Look Up to the Moon

Product Description In the summer of 1955 a relatively naive and uninformed John Cohen crossed thestraits of Gibraltar. He arrived in Tangier with a handwritten note in cursive Arabic; theman who had composed it in New York had told him to “keep this paper far from yourpassport.” Cohen had no idea why or indeed what the note said; it was not addressedto aspecific person. He was simply instructed to look for a certain man when hearrived, who would then send him to “the others.” Cohen’s otherwise straightforwardtrip to make photographs in Morocco thus began with a sense of intrigue and perhapsrisk. This was Cohen’s first journey outside America to see the world. In his words: “Thecamera led my way to a distant culture, along with the desire to represent what I couldsee and sense there, and not be distracted by chronology or thought. My photographswere intended to be a sensual response to light and to the people who inhabited thesespaces. These Morocco photos were … an indication of what was to come.” Review Cohen almost inadvertently captured the rise of revolutionary tension in the contrast between images of French troops in ancient squares and the furtive bustle of his revolutionary guides in shadowy back alleys. More often, as here, you sense his preoccupation with his principal quest, "a sensual response to the light that had inspired Matisse".--Tim Adams "Guardian" Look Up to the Moon" is the first publication of pictures that Cohen, then 23 years old, took in Morocco in 1955. He knew almost nothing about the country when he arrived but was fascinated by the people, the barren landscapes and the contrast between intense sunlight and deep shadows in the alleyways of decaying villages and cities.--William Meyers "Wall Street Journal"