Albert Renger Patszch
What were the goals of new objectivity in photography?
The New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) emerged as a style in Germany in the 1920s as a challenge to Expressionism. As its name suggests, it offered a return to unsentimental reality and a focus on the objective world, as opposed to the more abstract, romantic, or idealistic tendencies of Expressionism.
What types of subjects did Neue Sachlichkeit prefer to photograph?
The artists highlighted the social and political turmoil of life emphasized through war-profiteers, beggars, and prostitutes. They explored the rise of the metropolis with its freedoms and sexual liberation, but noted the increasing alienation from nature and rural life.
Why did photographers in the 1920s begin to represent the world with ‘objective, sober eyes‘?
- a response to the chaos of the First World War and a rejection of the culture leading up to it
- a rejection of the emotional and spiritual concerns of Expressionism and an interest in the rational and political
- a response to rapid industrialisation in Europe and America
- a response to the particular qualities of the camera and a move away from painterly effects like soft focus.
Some of Albert Renger Patszch‘s photography:
I decided to experiment using scissors and tape and captured some images in the studio and edited them on adobe lightroom:
My Edits/ images:
I was mainly experimenting with the shadows, highlights, vibrance and saturation.
In this image I edited so that the shadows were more strong and visible, compared to my other edits this ones darker and simpler.
