Friday, January 21, 2011

New Objectivity

Photographer: August Sander
1921

Source

5 comments:

Barbara said...

I was struck by how much this photograph resembles paintings by Otto Dix. Or maybe it's vice versa. Wonder if Sander and Dix knew each other.

Lord K said...

Sorry Barbara,
I somewhoe overlooked your comment. Of course there's a resemblance to Dix (especially considering the fact that Dix portrayed the very same woman). Photographer and painter took part in the New Objectivity movement and knew each other. There's at least one photo of Dix (with his spouse) taken by Sander.

Barbara said...

Thanks for the reply -- I kind of zoned out for an instant when I commented -- I was so shocked to see this magnificent photo -- not thinking that of course they would all know each other or at least be aware of each other in those days. Dix is my utter absolute hero as a painter/draftsman, along with Kathe Kollwitz. I don't think I've ever met anyone in my life with the same degree of obsession that I have with Expressionist portraits so it's a lonely obsession I've had.

I just glanced at Glitter and Doom now (sorry, I'm working now and wanted to quickly respond to your email), there are a few photographs to go with the portrait drawings and paintings, but -- do you know offhand if there is a publication (new or otherwise) or a website with more photos matched with the paintings? I'm living in the middle of deepest, darkest southern Ontario, haven't gotten out of here much for years and my favourite art bookstore in Toronto has bit the dust.

Also, I have a question, if you know -- I heard several years ago that there is a bar/resto in Berlin that has nothing but pictures of Otto Dix (or paintings by Dix?) on the walls, have you heard of that, do you know the name? Some day, when I can finally get out of the hell of here, that's where I want to go.

Thanks.

Barbara said...

bitten the dust... sigh.

Lord K said...

To Barbara:
Frankly, I don't know much about Expressionism, haven't read a single book on it and it's the first time I hear about this Berlin bar (good idea, hope not too good to be true). But I like Otto Dix, not as a part of the movement but as a witty and poignant artist who expressed the spirit of ill-fated Weimar Republic.
His works and his social & artistic environment are elements of the period that never stopped to fascinate me since I was a schoolboy.