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Andre Kertesz
Kismaric, Carole
- GenresPhotographyArt
96 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1993
1 person want to read
About the author
André Kertész
67 books15 followersAndré Kertész (French: [kɛʁtɛs]; 2 July 1894 – 28 September 1985), born Kertész Andor, was a Hungarian-born photographer known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and the photo essay. In the early years of his career, his then-unorthodox camera angles and style prevented his work from gaining wider recognition. Kertész never felt that he had gained the worldwide recognition he deserved. Today he is considered one of the seminal figures of photojournalism.[
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 24, 2024
I have been spending the past few days with this thin collection of André Kertész’s photographs.
I wish I was a poet, or a better writer, maybe then, I would be able to convey how these pictures made me feel. But I am not…so I will just say, I am so glad that I took out this book from my library and I will be spending more time with it in the next while.
( Nobody seems to be waiting for this book, which is a pity…but then again, lucky for me! )
This collection includes an essay by Carole Kismaric, which is both informative and accessible.
Through the essay, I learned that André Kertész was friends with some of my favourite people: Mondrian, Léger, Chagall, Vladmink, Lurçat and Einstein.
The career of Kertész can be divided into four periods: the Hungarian period, the French period, the American period and the International period.
Kertész fought in WW1 and took many pictures of life in the trenches. Unfortunately many of them, along with his early pictures taken in and around Budapest, were lost in the Hungarian Revolution of 1918.
On my first viewing of this collection of photographs, I somehow wished they were arranged chronologically, or organized by their styles, and I wished that their titles were printed underneath the photos, instead of being listed at the end of the book.
However, on my second viewing, equipped with a bit more understanding of his work, it didn’t bother me anymore. Not knowing the titles or even the locations where the pictures were taken, I realized, somehow allowed me to interpret the work on my own terms first. Probably not as much as some of the contemporary artworks, but the title of a work of art affects how the viewer perceives the artwork in a significant way. I would also guess if a certain picture belonged to the Hungarian era or the French period etc, then refer to the listing to see if my guess was correct, which was quite fun.
Quotes;
“Kertész was drawn not to particularly lofty subjects, but rather toward representing the true and fragile nature of the existing world without altering it.”
“He found no need to manufacture pictures or to force responses when the richness of the world was so plainly visible, and the camera so capable of capturing it. Thus his pictures began to take individual form, to record what his eye instinctively found to see. As such, they were not crystal-clear renditions of the world. Visually, abstractions began to take shape as photographic detail was sacrificed to capture the essence of a moment.
These were the fruits not of a happy accident, but of conscious choice.”
“Kertész had intuitively grasped that the camera could be used in direct response to how he felt about the world; now he was ready to explore his art on another level. In Paris he was able to give reign to his intellectual, even analytical and self-conscious sense of form. In the same way as he had roamed the Budapest countryside, he stalked the streets of Paris. He pointed his camera everywhere: upwards across rooftops, into win-dows, taking in entire façades or selecting out small details; downwards onto sidewalks speckled with people working themselves into patterns, merging with cement curbs, cobblestones, edges of trees, and slices of buildings. Vantage point became important. And each time he made a picture he learned a bit more about the city that was now his home.”
“As he was stimulated by the ideas of artists around him, his pictures grew less sentimental and more sophisticated. They became highly refined, sensitive observations of the abstract relationships between curves, angles, light, and shadow. And because of his sensitivity they were as beautiful, or surprising, or whimsical as they were firmly rooted in the everyday world. It was an atmosphere in which Kertész thrived.” ( French period)
P.S. thank you Paul :)
I wish I was a poet, or a better writer, maybe then, I would be able to convey how these pictures made me feel. But I am not…so I will just say, I am so glad that I took out this book from my library and I will be spending more time with it in the next while.
( Nobody seems to be waiting for this book, which is a pity…but then again, lucky for me! )
This collection includes an essay by Carole Kismaric, which is both informative and accessible.
Through the essay, I learned that André Kertész was friends with some of my favourite people: Mondrian, Léger, Chagall, Vladmink, Lurçat and Einstein.
The career of Kertész can be divided into four periods: the Hungarian period, the French period, the American period and the International period.
Kertész fought in WW1 and took many pictures of life in the trenches. Unfortunately many of them, along with his early pictures taken in and around Budapest, were lost in the Hungarian Revolution of 1918.
On my first viewing of this collection of photographs, I somehow wished they were arranged chronologically, or organized by their styles, and I wished that their titles were printed underneath the photos, instead of being listed at the end of the book.
However, on my second viewing, equipped with a bit more understanding of his work, it didn’t bother me anymore. Not knowing the titles or even the locations where the pictures were taken, I realized, somehow allowed me to interpret the work on my own terms first. Probably not as much as some of the contemporary artworks, but the title of a work of art affects how the viewer perceives the artwork in a significant way. I would also guess if a certain picture belonged to the Hungarian era or the French period etc, then refer to the listing to see if my guess was correct, which was quite fun.
Quotes;
“Kertész was drawn not to particularly lofty subjects, but rather toward representing the true and fragile nature of the existing world without altering it.”
“He found no need to manufacture pictures or to force responses when the richness of the world was so plainly visible, and the camera so capable of capturing it. Thus his pictures began to take individual form, to record what his eye instinctively found to see. As such, they were not crystal-clear renditions of the world. Visually, abstractions began to take shape as photographic detail was sacrificed to capture the essence of a moment.
These were the fruits not of a happy accident, but of conscious choice.”
“Kertész had intuitively grasped that the camera could be used in direct response to how he felt about the world; now he was ready to explore his art on another level. In Paris he was able to give reign to his intellectual, even analytical and self-conscious sense of form. In the same way as he had roamed the Budapest countryside, he stalked the streets of Paris. He pointed his camera everywhere: upwards across rooftops, into win-dows, taking in entire façades or selecting out small details; downwards onto sidewalks speckled with people working themselves into patterns, merging with cement curbs, cobblestones, edges of trees, and slices of buildings. Vantage point became important. And each time he made a picture he learned a bit more about the city that was now his home.”
“As he was stimulated by the ideas of artists around him, his pictures grew less sentimental and more sophisticated. They became highly refined, sensitive observations of the abstract relationships between curves, angles, light, and shadow. And because of his sensitivity they were as beautiful, or surprising, or whimsical as they were firmly rooted in the everyday world. It was an atmosphere in which Kertész thrived.” ( French period)
P.S. thank you Paul :)
Displaying 1 of 1 review