Research: Andre Kertesz

Born 1894, Died 1985.  Hungarian-born  photographer. He served briefly in World War I before moving to Paris in 1925. World War II pushed him to immigrate again to the United States, where he had to rebuild his reputation through commissioned work. In the 1940s and 1950s he stopped working for magazines. Despite the many awards he collected, he still felt unrecognized; something he felt did not change even at the time of his death.

From review of the images, it is clear that at least at first the main focus was on simple compositions concerning form and tones. Shooting initially in black and white it creates mood throughout the compositions. The eyes follow the shape of the objects used and cause the viewer to ask the questions as to why each object has been chosen and what meaning lies behind each choice. The images are especially powerful, they all contain the full range of tones and make you want to reach in and handle the objects.

The composition of the plate and fork is very powerful; it is so simple yet so striking. Lit from above, so that the shadows fall directly below the objects, the shadows are almost suggestions of reflections of the items. There is the full tonal range on view, from the white of the bowl, the grey of the table to the deep black of the shadows and possibly more important is the contrast of the shiny metal fork to that of the smooth finish of the bowl.

The image of the pipe and spectacles is another personal favourite. All the items are of similar tones, and the table top is a pure white, it is possible to imagine viewing them in person in a museum setting. The only straight lines on show are that of the corner of the table top and also the shaft of the pipe every other line is curved, be it that of the bowl or of the pairs of spectacles. The lines do not share a common direction so the eyes bounce all over the composition as it is being inspected.

It is the simplicity of these two compositions that really makes them, the ideas could hardly be any simpler, yet they really draw the viewers’ attention. The contrasts of the images are incredible, pure white to deep black.