August Sander was born in November, 1876 in Herdorf, Germany, near Cologne, a major cultural center and patron of the arts. Mr. Sanders was the son of a mining carpenter and began an apprenticeship as a miner in 1989. His first exposure and introduction to photography was by assisting a photographer working for the mining company. It is said his uncle provided his first camera, a 13 x 18 cm, in 1892. He built his own darkroom and began learning his art, an art without precedence in the late 1800's.
Mr. Sanders served in the military from 1897 through 1899 working as a photographer's assistant. After military service he began working for a photography studio in Linz, Austria, later becoming a partner, and finally its sole proprietor in 1904.
Mr. Sanders was devoted to his art; his life's projects are populated with travel, documenting society, culture, and especially people. He belonged to the 'Group of Progressive Artists' in Cologne. His work and discovery thrived during a time of unparalleled adversity at the height of the Nazi regime in Germany. His son died in prison, convicted for being a member of the Socialist Worker's Party (the only resistance to the Nazi party). Many of Mr. Sander's photographic plates were seized and destroyed; his studio was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944.
He is probably best known for his series 'People of the 20th Century' showing a cross-section of society as depicted in classes, an historic work at a time when photography's as an art was only being defined. When we think of the powerful devices with a multitude of adjustments and lighting to assist today's photographer, men like Sanders had little more than their vision and timing to document a moment.
In post war Germany, Sander's work was honored, recognized for its tribute and contribution. His photographs were chosen by noted authors for inclusion in their work. Mr Sanders was named an honorary member of the German Photographic Society in 1958; he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1960.
It is difficult to choose a single photograph of August Sanders. All of his work is compelling; all bring questions to mind about his equipment, surroundings, lighting, and subjects. How did he create such moving photographs? All of his subjects appear to show at once a sense of honor and history, that they are being recorded forever in this new yet little known science called photography. Perhaps that is part of how the bricklayer possesses the same aura of dignity as the businessman; the gypsy tribe eye contact as powerful as the young child.
All of his pictures possess a softness that may speak to the medium of the day. Each contains texture that allows you to touch his subjects. Some appear to use shallow depth of field to accentuate the subject, yet the pictures I have of the young man and the gypsy tribe exhibit sharp detail throughout. They all possess compelling eye contact. You know this person and the sense is as powerful as if you were standing next to Mr Sanders as he is taking the photograph.
I love the power of 'the Bricklayer'. This man is holding a load of bricks on his shoulder, making penetrating eye contact with the camera; yet with one hand at his side, seems as relaxed as if waiting for a bus. The dress of the day helps describes this man with waistcoat, 'home stitched', and his workers cap perched blending with the brick. While most of the Sanders photographs I have viewed use light background, it can't be an accident that this background is dark. Is he in a studio? I doubt it. This adds weight and drama to the lifeblood and lifestyle of this man. This photograph is indeed an exquisite blend of weight and lightness, using the reality of their presence in this image to tell a story about this man and indeed, the worker class of this time.
Widely regarded as the "Father of modern portrait photography", August Sanders exhibits an innocent devotion to his calling. While the sophisticated equipment of our day did not exist, the qualities of light remain unchanged from the first artist's gaze. Devoted more to documenting his fellowman than advancing his art, his photographs reveal an intimacy that bridges Time.
"Every person's story is written plainly on his face, though not everyone can read it"
-August Sander
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