Chiarenza, Carl. Pictures Come From Pictures: Selected Photographs, 1955-2017 by Carl Chiarenza.

David R. Godine, 2008. Like new, stiff wraps, may have slight indentations on cover. Issued at $19.95. Summary:

Published in 2008 by David R. Godine, Pictures Come From Pictures: Selected Photographs, 1955–2007 (often cataloged with expanded date spans in retrospectives) is a comprehensive overview of the influential career of photographer, art historian, and educator Carl Chiarenza. Featuring an introduction by scholar N. Elizabeth Schlatter, the volume traces Chiarenza’s five-decade evolution from early, atmospheric real-world photographs to his groundbreaking studio abstractions.

The core thesis of the book—reflected in its title—is that photographs are not passive windows on reality, but artificially constructed objects that draw their meaning from memory, art history, and other images rather than direct documentation. The monograph highlights Chiarenza's signature studio technique developed in the late 1970s: constructing intricate collages out of everyday scraps, foil, paper, and discarded materials. Using dramatic chiaroscuro and masterful black-and-white tonal variations, Chiarenza transforms these ephemeral physical assemblies into luminous, high-contrast photographic abstractions. Once photographed, the original collages are discarded, leaving the resulting print as a brand-new visual event. Ultimately, the collection highlights Chiarenza's mastery in dismantling traditional boundaries between photography, collage, and painting, establishing him as a pioneer of abstract photography.

Carl Chiarenza (1935-2026) was an American art photographer, art historian, and educator recognized for his pioneering contributions to abstract studio photography. Born in Rochester, New York, Chiarenza studied under influential figures Minor White and Ralph Hattersley at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1973—becoming one of the first scholars in the United States to complete a doctoral dissertation dedicated to art history in photography. Alongside a long academic career as a professor and department chair at Boston University and the University of Rochester, Chiarenza shifted his photographic practice entirely to the studio in 1979. There, he pioneered a unique technique of assembling abstract collages from scrap paper, aluminum foil, and discarded materials, capturing them in high-contrast black-and-white to transform ephemeral assemblies into luminous photographic prints.His work has been widely exhibited internationally and is held in major permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the George Eastman Museum.