Marissa: August Sander

August Sander: Sander was a German photographer born in 1876 and died in 1964. Born in Herdorf, Sander worked in a local mine where he first came in contact with photography by acting as an assistant to a photographer who was working for the mine. With a sparked interest, he bought some photography equipment and created his own darkroom. From 1897-99, he spent his military service as a photographer's assistant then traveled around Germany taking pictures. He soon came across the Cologne Progressives, a radical group of artists linked to the workers' movement. From there, he began his project of People of the 20th Century and began taking portraits of working men and women. In 1929, Sanders Face of Our Time was published containing many of these portraits, however, he came across tough times with the rise of the Nazi party, and soon all his work was destroyed. 

 

This photograph depicts a portrait of a brick mason, carrying a load of bricks on his shoulders by the support of a wooden plank. The subject is centered, and is looking intently as the viewer, almost as though he is posing. These seems to be no motion in this photo, and the subject seems to be standing still for the photographer. The black background provides nice contrast to the grey colors of his clothing and skin.

This photograph is a portrait of hat seems to be a chef or a baker. Again, the subject is centered and is looking directly at the viewer, almost motionless. The man's white kitchen attire is a nice contrast to the darker surroundings. There also seems to be a relatively high aperture as the background appears blurry.

This photography is a portrait of a man standing on the sidewalk in winter attire, fully covered. Again, he is looking directly and seriously at the viewer, as well as motionless. This subject does not seem to be exactly centered, but rather to the right a little, creating a nice vertical line. There is another diagonal line following the curving path of the street that again directs the eye closer to his face.

This photograph is a portrait of what seems to be two athletes. Both directly looking at the viewer and motionless, the photo seems to be posed. Both provide two vertical lines and one is slightly taller than the other. The contrast between their black clothing and their pale skin and lighter background is very attracting to the eye.

This photograph is a portrait of a woman leaning up against a trailer, possibly as part of a circus. Again, she is motionless and looking directly at the viewer. She acts as a centered vertical line, and the edge of the trailer also acts as a horizontal line through the center of the picture. Again, the contrast between white and black is also very eye-catching.

This photograph is a portrait of two young children holding hands in the center of the frame, both motionless and looking directly at the viewer. There is a high aperture in this photo as seen through the blurred background. The lines of the doors behind them acts as nice vertical lines corresponding with the children. The contrast between their clothes and skin against the background is also very eye-catching.