Bird Hand Book.
Photographs by Victor Schrager. Text by A.S. Byatt.
Graphis, New York, 2001.
128 pp.,
70 duotone illustrations,
8¾x12".
The beauty of Schrager's photographs lies not so much in the subject matter--though there is an undeniable attractiveness to the feathered creatures portrayed--as it does in his approach to the subject. It has been said that beauty is the persuasive aspect of truth, a relationship that Schrager has imbibed and invested in the work. The sincerity of the photographer coupled with the unabashed presence of these animals--perched as they are on the hands of faceless and countless handlers--is what immediately grabs the viewer. These birds are not presented as commercial objects nor as perfect specimens, isolated against a seamless backdrop in a spotless studio. Rather, they squirm and resist, acquiesce and bide time, held as they are by the hands of man; the dynamic at play between bird and hand greatly informs this work; indeed, it speaks of life itself.
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