Mistral
The Legendary Wind of Provence
Published on 13. March 2025
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-80471-115-6 (ISBN)
Description
Mistral is a portrait of Provence seen through its legendary wind. Photographer Rachel Cobb illustrates the effects of this relentless force of nature that funnels down France's Rhone Valley, sometimes gusting to hurricane strength. The mistral is not just a weather phenomenon: it is an integral part of the fabric of Provencal life impacting its architecture, agriculture, landscape and culture.
Artists have long been drawn to the area for the clear skies that follow a mistral. Nobody who lives or spends time in the region can escape the mistral. It is everywhere yet nowhere to be seen. How do you photograph the wind? With images of a leaf caught in flight, grapevines lashed by powerful gusts ("You can taste the wine better when there's a mistral," a winemaker says), a bride tangled in her veil, and even spider webs oriented to withstand the wind. Out of thin air Cobb makes us feel the unseen.
Including an introduction by Bill Buford and an excerpt from Paul Auster about his life in Provence.
Artists have long been drawn to the area for the clear skies that follow a mistral. Nobody who lives or spends time in the region can escape the mistral. It is everywhere yet nowhere to be seen. How do you photograph the wind? With images of a leaf caught in flight, grapevines lashed by powerful gusts ("You can taste the wine better when there's a mistral," a winemaker says), a bride tangled in her veil, and even spider webs oriented to withstand the wind. Out of thin air Cobb makes us feel the unseen.
Including an introduction by Bill Buford and an excerpt from Paul Auster about his life in Provence.
Reviews / Votes
Cobb manages to depict the unphotographable, capturing the effects of the wind, that moment "where the invisible becomes visible through what it touches" * Vogue Italia * Mistral is among those great photobooks that provoke a creative imagining in the viewer's heart and head * LensCulture * In beautifully evocative stills, a photographer captures the restless swirl of Provence's famous wind * People magazine * American photojournalist Rachel Cobb has spent several decades capturing the legendary wind that blows through southern France. This relentless force of nature that can gust to hurricane strength is an integral part of the fabric of Provencal life * Guardian *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Atlantic Books
Dimensions
Height: 329 mm
Width: 260 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
2 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80471-115-6 (9781804711156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Rachel Cobb has photographed current affairs, long-term documentary and fine art projects for 33 years. Formerly a contributing photographer to The New York Times, she has been widely published in magazines such as The New Yorker, Time, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and Stern. Among other accolades, her images have earned her Picture of the Year awards for her work during the 9/11 attacks in New York City and in war-torn Sarajevo. She has exhibited in solo and group shows in museums and galleries across the U.S. and in France.