Abstraction. Pure Abstract Photography: The Creative Moment by Thomas Reaume. SIGNED.

Kromar, 1995. Wraps, as issued, very good with crimps on cover, SIGNED inside cover at bottom center. 80 pages.  Text and black-and-white pure abstract photographs by Reaume.  Label on back of title page with Reaume’s contact information in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Back pages include list of Reaume's prior exhibitions. Reaume was the distributor for this copy. Summary:

Pure Abstract Photography: The Creative Moment (2021) by Thomas Reaume is both a philosophical manifesto and a technical guide for the "non-objective" photographer. Reaume argues for the total liberation of the photograph from the "burden of the subject," advocating for an approach where line, color, and texture are the sole protagonists of the image.

Core Themes and Narrative

• The Rejection of the "What": Reaume posits that the question "What is it?" is the enemy of art. He encourages photographers to move past the identification of objects toward a "Pure Vision" where the viewer engages with the photograph as a physical and emotional surface rather than a window into a scene.

• The Creative Moment: The "moment" in this book is not the "Decisive Moment" of Cartier-Bresson, but rather the internal spark where the photographer recognizes a formal arrangement of light and shadow that transcends its physical origin.

• Aesthetics of the Mundane: Reaume focuses on the overlooked details of the industrial landscape—cracked paint, rusted metal, or the curve of a plastic pipe—and elevates them to the status of high art through radical framing.

Visual and Technical Notes

• The "Flattened" Image: Reaume’s technique involves eliminating the sense of three-dimensional depth. By using specific focal lengths and angles, he  makes the 3D world appear as a 2D canvas of shapes.

• Micro-Texture:  Because there is no central subject to look at, the eye is forced to wander, finding interest in the grain, the grit, and the tonal transitions.