2. Biography
• B. 1876 in Herdorf, Rhine, Germany
• D. 1964 in Köln, Germany
• 7 years as miner in Herdorf
• 1 year studying painting in Dresden
• 1904: founded his own studios
3. His works
• 1929: ‘Anlitz der
Zeit’ (Face of Our
Time) published
his first book
(started it 1910)
4. Major work
• 1911: ‘Menschen des
20. Jahrhunderts’
(People of the 20th
Century)
• Categorized his work
into: ‘class, profession
and relationships’
5. Style
• Neutral background or simple environment
• Systematic
• Clothes and body language link with origin and
profession of individual
• Facial expressions are neutral
– Photography: not seen as an art
– German history (influence of Nazi regime)
• ‘Nothing is more hateful to me than photography
sugar-coated with gimminks, poses and false
effects’
6. Portraiture or Documentary?
• Portraiture: focuses
on the
person/people’s
expression
– Photos of people
– No or little focus on
background
– Posing?
7. Documentary or Portraiture?
• Documentary:
objective photograph
of a scene
– Real clothing and
habitat
– ‘Strict documentation
of his view on Man’
8. Similar photographers
• Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)
• American influential
documentary photographer
• ‘I want to take a picture of a
man as he stood in his world’
• Iconic image: ‘Migrant
Mother’ (1936)
– Depression era
9. Contemporary works
• Mark Seliger (19 - )
• Photographer for Rolling
Stones from 1992-2002
• Celebrity portraiture
• Chosen black and white
images:
– back to basics
– pure & simple
– less distraction
10. References
• Arnow, J. and Lange, D., 1985. Dorothea Lange. London: Macdonald
• Lange, S., Döblin, A. and Heiting, M., 1999. August Sander, 1876 –
1964. Köln: Taschen.
• MoMA – The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. The Collection –
August Sander. [online] Available at:
<http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=5145>
[Accessed 23 January 2012]
• Sander, A. and Sander, G., 1973. August Sander: Photographer
Extraordinary. London: Thames and Hudson.
• The Economist, 2009. The photographs of August Sander –
Twentieth-century man (A photographer who believed he was
enabling self-portraits). [online] Available at:
<http://www.economist.com/node/14302314> [Accessed 23
January 2012]
