August Sander
“If we can create portraits of subjects
that are true, we thereby in effect
create a mirror of the times.”
I have chosen to write about August Sander because his work intrigued me. I think all of Sander’s photographs create a huge feeling of time as they are in black-and-white and are taken of people in the 20th century.
August Sander was a famous German photographer who lived a long life, 1876-1964. Sander’s photography career began when he was a teenager. Acquiring his first camera in 1892, he took up photography as a hobby and, after military service, pursued it professionally, working in a series of photographic firms and studios in Germany. After photographing local farmers, Sander was inspired to produce a series of portraits of German people from all classes of society. In the mid-1920s, Sander began his decades-long project ‘People of the Twentieth Century‘, but in the 1930s his work fell into disfavor and was banned by the Nazis. Although his project couldn’t have been completed, it includes over 600 photographs divided into seven volumes and nearly 50 portfolios. The photographs from this project are all mostly black-and-white portraits documenting Germans from various social and economic backgrounds in the 20th century.
The Pastry Cook- 1928
I think this is my favourite photo that August Sander took because he made it really obvious what work environment the subject is linked to. The subject behind the photograph is anonymous, described simply by their occupation, with the stories of their lives, hard or soft, written on their faces with emotion. In this photograph, the subjects facial expressions make me feel intimidated as he is staring into the camera with full attention and looks as if he is ‘snarling’ towards the man behind the camera. Sander creates this emotional response by having the subject centre of the image, which reinforces the idea of him as intimidating and being the main focus of the photo. The subject is also wearing white which highly contrasts with the dark background and makes him stand out even more.
Master Mason- 1926
I also like this photo because it is a striking image that captures the essence of a craftsman in his element, but it also reveals emotion. The subject’s facial expressions gives us an idea that he is tired and is directly giving the audience a foul glare which is purposely to make them feel uncomfortable. The image was taken in black and white creating a really dull photograph. The subject of the photograph is centred, and the two columns next to him support this layout. Behind the subject is dark shadows, making him the main focus of the image. The shadows also create a contrast with the bright work clothes. I think this image creates an emotional response through his body language and the way he is staring into the camera with an uneasy, angry manner.