Some say they’re just animals. Others say they’re almost human. What is it about monkeys and apes that fascinate us? Whatever the reason, we love them, and this is what Jill Greenberg celebrates in her new photographic collection, Monkey Portraits.

Old world or new, the monkeys and apes are captured in a range of emotions. Somber to silly, bored to brash, these primates will startle you with the depth of their emotions. As Greenberg points out, the beings caught in these intimate portraits can look surprisingly human, expectedly animal, or both. Either way, as you page through, you’ll see a set of eyes here or a mouth there that look as though they could belong to someone you know.

Greenberg’s skills behind the lens are starkly apparent. She has managed to bring forth a stunning array of emotions generally reserved for human “people.” Anyone can take pictures, but Greenberg can go beyond the photo to that moment between breaths where the truly remarkable can be found.  

Are monkeys and apes “mere” animals? Are they something more? Bring this stunning volume home and decide for yourself.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
9/6/2006

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