Editor’s Note: We promise, there is more to the D.C. arts scene than just photography, but its just that there’s a lot out there photography-wise at the current time. J.T. Kirkland of Thinking About Art reviews another photography exhibit. Check out his recent photography reviews of Barbara Probst and Prescott Moore Lassman.

Of the books in this DCist’s personal collection, only a small fraction of them have actually been read. Though we have every intention of reading these books someday, what appeals to me most is the idea of a book. What we mean is that books are universal. They contain vast amounts of information and experiences, and they permanently record our thoughts. They are beautiful creations that represent the hours of meticulous dedicated work on the part of the author.

Victor Schrager’s latest series of photographs, now on view at Adamson Gallery, capture this sentiment very well. Schrager’s work reduces books to their most elemental forms and achieves images that present books solely as color and shape. He does not provide any clues as to the contents of the books and clearly that artistic decision is meant to convey that the contents are not the subject of the work. What seems to interest Schrager the most is how books can be used to construct semi-abstract compositions somewhat in line with color field paintings of the 1960s.

The clever use of depth of field drastically influences these compositions. The blurred nature of the photos reduces the images to studies in color, but the small line of clarity in each photograph provides the visual clue that the forms are hardcover books.

In the work Untitled (#37) (shown above), we see two books standing against a pale background. The books, one dark gray and the other a light taupe, recall urban landscapes. This minimal presentation signifies a certain dignity associated with the books. We are presented with the books at almost their thinnest possible orientation, but the wide, dark shadows resulting from the dramatic lighting of the scene gives the books power. The large size of the digital print and the highly saturated color aim to provide a significant presence. The size further aligns the work with the large-scale abstract paintings of the 60s and we cannot help but think of Barnett Newman’s “zip” paintings from around that same time.