Angel's World - Michael Lesy

By photographing himself, Rizzuto affirmed his own presence; by photographing the suffering of others as well as by recording the awesome shape of a man-made world, Rizzuto used his camera to lessen the pain of loneliness and to transcend his fear and anger. He used his camera to confirm himself, to enter and discover the world, and then to rise above it. His loneliness, his persistent vision, and his transcendence are what he shares with all photographers who have embarked on solitary quests that have transformed and restored them to themselves.

Subtitled "The New York Photographs of Angelo Rizzuto", this photography book is a strange look into an unusual photographer. The first forty pages are a fascinating tale of the author uncovering the bizarre life of Rizzuto. Filling the majority of this book are the photographs which perfectly fit the tortured mind of a man who happens to love photography.

Angel died in 1967, leaving $50,000 and 60,000 photographs to the Library of Congress on the condition they publish a book of his photographs. A small printing satisfied the Library's obligation and Rizzuto remained essentially anonymous. Michael Lesy found and became fascinated with Rizzuto's work, publishing this wonderful book in 2006. The photographs document life in New York from the demented mind of Rizzuto. This is not your typical photography book of lovely pictures or a documentary tale. Some of the New York photos are reminiscent of Atget's documentation of ordinary life in Paris. Much of the work presented, however, shows an unusual fascination with women and self-portraiture. A good book if you can enjoy understanding an unusual mind through photos. I did.