Photography
After War World I, a sharp and objective style of photography emerged in Germany called New Objectivity. New Objectivity is a veristic art style, which encompasses painting, drawing, and photography, founded in Germany by Otto Dix and George Grosz. The style cynically and critically portrayed many aspects of German contemporary society in a very realistic manner. “Neue Sachlichkeit” or New Objectivity was first coined in 1923 by G.F. Hartlaub who titled an exhibition of post-expressionistic paintings, so in the beginning photography wasn’t even involved.[1] But photography in the New Objectivity style is categorized apart from painting because the approach to photos differed greatly from the approach to paintings in this movement. The photographer, Albert Renger-Patzsch, focused more upon the art of photography and honestly capturing the simple beauty of objects. Whereas the photographer, August Sander, focused more upon simply portraying Germany’s people in a way to show the truth about German society. There was no need to try to realistically portray their subjects because photography in itself is a perfect image of reality. The movement occurred in the 1920’s right when Germany was trying to rebuild itself after the defeat of its people and the collapse of its government from the War with the Weimar Republic. Through this tumultuous experiment in democracy, these artists were pushing boundaries by radically altering the style of photography in the way they utilized the camera to create something that no other art form could accomplish. Sander and Renger-Patzsch moved photography into its own artistic art realm that previously had not existed.
“If we can make true portraits of people, we can create a mirror of the age in which these people live,” said August Sander, who became known for soberly and frankly photographing the people surrounding him.[2] Sander differentiated himself from other photographers of his time by using his antiquated equipment: a large view camera on a tripod with glass-plate negatives which required several seconds of exposure.[3] Sander was not known for idolizing the speed and sophistication of the new technology yet he was still able to create an innovative body of photographs. His photographs, first published in 1929 in Face of the Time (Antlitz der Zeit) show in chronological order, Germany’s dramatic transformation from old-fashioned agricultural state to a modern industrialized nation. Sander began with a photo like Young Farmers, which shows three young farmers dressed up walking through the countryside and then transitioned to a photo like, Hod-Carrier, which depicts a lower-class worker who was helping to build the new modern Germany. The book concluded with images of “The Last People,” those on the fringes of society like the handicapped and the sick seen in his photo, Unemployed.[4] Overall his photography gave him great acclaim but also persecution because it showed the German people in a harshly honest light at the rise of Nazi Germany. As Sander said, “(Photography) can depict things in magnificent beauty, but also in terrible truth,” which is exactly what his photos were, a beautiful and honest art portrayal of the German people.[5]
In contrast, Albert Renger-Patzsch, known as the “photographer of things,” often chose banal or common subjects like utensils or industrial objects or items found in nature.[6] Renger-Patzsch presented the “essence of the object” in a very sober way that showed the power of photography.[7] He wished to “leave art to the artists” and use photography to “look at things from a new viewpoint.”[8] Renger-Patzsch does exactly that in his works, Glasses, Shoe Lasts at the Fagus Works, and Adder’s Head. In Glasses he clearly and plainly photographs four glasses and the play of light and shadows upon them. In Shoe Lasts at the Fagus Works, he shows the duplicative nature of a medium while alluding to the emerging industrial world. Lastly, in Adder’s Head, Renger-Patzsch uses a close up view to show the form and structure of the natural organism of a snake. As Renger-Patzsch said, photography can “create a permanent record of the transient beauty of flowers, or reproduce the dynamism of modern technology,” which is exactly what he does in his simple and direct photographs of objects.[9]
“Photography has developed out of its peculiar technical capabilities a style of its own, creating out of these very characteristics completely new effects that cannot be achieved with any other art form,” said Luise Straus-Ernst in a review of the book Antliz der Zeit [Face of Our Time] by August Sander.[10] This appraisal is spot on in its connection to the artists, August Sander and Albert Renger-Patzsch, who revolutionized the art of photography by creating a specific style and using the camera to capture things that other art forms are incapable of. Sander strived “to see things as they are and not as they should or might be,” which is exactly what he achieved in his honest and straightforward portraits that reveled the inner workings of German society in the 1930’s.[11] Renger-Patzsch work covers a broader range of subjects encompassing any object found in the natural or man-made world yet he took photos with the same real and authentic style as Sander in order to show the timelessness of an object. Moholy-Nagy once said “Everything is still so new (about photography) that even the search leads to creative results,” which is exactly what Sander and Renger-Patzsch found when they photographed, timeless and powerful photos.[12]
[1] Fritz Schmalenbach, "The Term Neue Sachlichkeit," The Art Bulletin 22, (September, 1940): 161.
[2] Alfred Doblin, and Suzanne Lange, August Sander 1876-1964 (Italy: Benedikt Taschen, 1999) p50.
[3] Claudia Bohn-Spector, In Focus August Sander (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2000) p6.
[4] Ibid, p8.
[5] Doblin and Lange, August Sander 1876-1964, p76.
[6] Jurgen Wilde and Thomas Weski, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Photographer of Objectivity (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1998) p7.
[7] Ibid, p7.
[8] Donald Kuspit and Weston Naef, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Joy Before The Object (New York; Aperture, 1993) p23 & 8.
[9] Kuspit and Naef, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Joy Before The Object, p34.
[10] Doblin and Lange, August Sander 1876-1964, p105.
[11] Ibid, p105.
[12] Gert Mattenklott, Karl Blossfeldt The Alphabet of Plants (New York: te Neues Publishing Company, 1997) p6.
“If we can make true portraits of people, we can create a mirror of the age in which these people live,” said August Sander, who became known for soberly and frankly photographing the people surrounding him.[2] Sander differentiated himself from other photographers of his time by using his antiquated equipment: a large view camera on a tripod with glass-plate negatives which required several seconds of exposure.[3] Sander was not known for idolizing the speed and sophistication of the new technology yet he was still able to create an innovative body of photographs. His photographs, first published in 1929 in Face of the Time (Antlitz der Zeit) show in chronological order, Germany’s dramatic transformation from old-fashioned agricultural state to a modern industrialized nation. Sander began with a photo like Young Farmers, which shows three young farmers dressed up walking through the countryside and then transitioned to a photo like, Hod-Carrier, which depicts a lower-class worker who was helping to build the new modern Germany. The book concluded with images of “The Last People,” those on the fringes of society like the handicapped and the sick seen in his photo, Unemployed.[4] Overall his photography gave him great acclaim but also persecution because it showed the German people in a harshly honest light at the rise of Nazi Germany. As Sander said, “(Photography) can depict things in magnificent beauty, but also in terrible truth,” which is exactly what his photos were, a beautiful and honest art portrayal of the German people.[5]
In contrast, Albert Renger-Patzsch, known as the “photographer of things,” often chose banal or common subjects like utensils or industrial objects or items found in nature.[6] Renger-Patzsch presented the “essence of the object” in a very sober way that showed the power of photography.[7] He wished to “leave art to the artists” and use photography to “look at things from a new viewpoint.”[8] Renger-Patzsch does exactly that in his works, Glasses, Shoe Lasts at the Fagus Works, and Adder’s Head. In Glasses he clearly and plainly photographs four glasses and the play of light and shadows upon them. In Shoe Lasts at the Fagus Works, he shows the duplicative nature of a medium while alluding to the emerging industrial world. Lastly, in Adder’s Head, Renger-Patzsch uses a close up view to show the form and structure of the natural organism of a snake. As Renger-Patzsch said, photography can “create a permanent record of the transient beauty of flowers, or reproduce the dynamism of modern technology,” which is exactly what he does in his simple and direct photographs of objects.[9]
“Photography has developed out of its peculiar technical capabilities a style of its own, creating out of these very characteristics completely new effects that cannot be achieved with any other art form,” said Luise Straus-Ernst in a review of the book Antliz der Zeit [Face of Our Time] by August Sander.[10] This appraisal is spot on in its connection to the artists, August Sander and Albert Renger-Patzsch, who revolutionized the art of photography by creating a specific style and using the camera to capture things that other art forms are incapable of. Sander strived “to see things as they are and not as they should or might be,” which is exactly what he achieved in his honest and straightforward portraits that reveled the inner workings of German society in the 1930’s.[11] Renger-Patzsch work covers a broader range of subjects encompassing any object found in the natural or man-made world yet he took photos with the same real and authentic style as Sander in order to show the timelessness of an object. Moholy-Nagy once said “Everything is still so new (about photography) that even the search leads to creative results,” which is exactly what Sander and Renger-Patzsch found when they photographed, timeless and powerful photos.[12]
[1] Fritz Schmalenbach, "The Term Neue Sachlichkeit," The Art Bulletin 22, (September, 1940): 161.
[2] Alfred Doblin, and Suzanne Lange, August Sander 1876-1964 (Italy: Benedikt Taschen, 1999) p50.
[3] Claudia Bohn-Spector, In Focus August Sander (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2000) p6.
[4] Ibid, p8.
[5] Doblin and Lange, August Sander 1876-1964, p76.
[6] Jurgen Wilde and Thomas Weski, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Photographer of Objectivity (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1998) p7.
[7] Ibid, p7.
[8] Donald Kuspit and Weston Naef, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Joy Before The Object (New York; Aperture, 1993) p23 & 8.
[9] Kuspit and Naef, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Joy Before The Object, p34.
[10] Doblin and Lange, August Sander 1876-1964, p105.
[11] Ibid, p105.
[12] Gert Mattenklott, Karl Blossfeldt The Alphabet of Plants (New York: te Neues Publishing Company, 1997) p6.