Author(s): J. H. Engstrom

Photography

For over twenty years, Swedish photographer JH Engstrom has lived and worked in Paris, a city that, like New York, has a long photographic pedigree; countless photographers have been inspired by its iconic architecture and busy streets. Sketch of Paris, however, is hardly a catalog of classic Parisian scenes, offering instead a raw yet lyrical portrayal of the artists misadventures, loves, and random encounters in its streets, bars, and artist loftsan entirely personal Paris. Drawing more from Nan Goldin and Anders Petersen than Eugene Atget or Henri Cartier-Bresson, Engstrom brings us on a gritty, no-holds-barred guided tour of life in his adopted city. The photographs provide a type of homage to Paris, a city that has greatly influenced and inspired Engstromas a photographer and as a person. The book brings together 250 color and black-and-white photographs self-portraits, nudes, portraits of lovers, friends, strangers, and the occasional street sceneall shot between 1991 and 2012, tracing a critical time during the development of the artists own voice and vision.