Siskind, Aaron. Aaron Siskind: Order with the Tensions Continuing.

Stephen Daiter Gallery, 2003. Stiff blank wraps with dust jacket. 34 pages, like new. Summary:

Aaron Siskind: Order with the Tensions Continuing is an exhibition catalog published in 2003 by the Stephen Daiter Gallery in Chicago. The publication accompanied a landmark exhibition of the same name held from May 2 to June 28, 2003, which later traveled to the Galerie Françoise Paviot in Paris.

The publication captures a defining era in Aaron Siskind’s career, focusing on the following central themes:

• The title is derived from Siskind's famous 1955 Art News quote regarding the balance between the external world and the photographer's personal vision. It highlights his pursuit of an "aesthetic optimum" where the inevitable, friction-filled relationship between literal material reality and abstract artistic expression remains active.

• The catalog documents Siskind's most celebrated creative periods, specifically his work from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. This timeframe tracks his integration with the New York Abstract Expressionists and his subsequent highly productive first decade teaching and working in Chicago.

• The associated gallery exhibition uniquely featured large-format vintage abstract prints, ranging from 17-by-14 inches up to 50-by-40 inches. This fulfilled Siskind’s long-held creative vision to present his photographs at a monumental scale that matched the physical presence of Abstract Expressionist paintings, a format he rarely could afford to print during his lifetime.

• Designed as a slim, 32-page softcover booklet with a photographic fold-out wrapper, the publication functions as a curated visual checklist of the exhibition. It includes 21 high-quality black-and-white photographic reproductions that emphasize Siskind's mastery of flat planes, texture, and structural geometry.

The publication stands as a significant retrospective document, illustrating how Siskind permanently bridges the gap between literal documentary photography and the realm of modern fine art abstraction.