talk on August Sander

Today I went to the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) to take part in a talk by one of my professors, Lou Marcus, on German photographer August Sander. Sander photographed most of his work between the two world wars. He was attracted to the human appearance and how an individuals connection with the camera could reveal something about them. Throughout his career Sander used glass plate negatives. He is best known for his portraits which are exemplified in his series People of the 20th Century. The photographs taken were categorized into seven categories by social type and occupation. He allowed people to compose themselves to be photographed in the way that they wanted to be photographed. Sander found his subjects for his photographs by taking advantage of every opportunity he could to photograph. For instance, a bailiff came by his door once to serve him papers and he invited him in and took his picture. That and many others were in a series of images titled People Who Came by My Door. After the Nazi's suppressed his work he began shooting landscapes. Later a fire destroyed the majority of the remaining negatives. Sander's work resonates through much of contemporary photography.

The exhibit at FMoPA runs through March 13, 2010. Go check it out!