Derek Paton Livres

3929078554. Photographic legacy and biographical and critical information on Josef Sudek, Czech photographer.

Czech photographer Josef Sudek, who is best known for his moody, Romantic shots of still lifes and street scenes, was an influential advertising pioneer. Though this commercial aspect of his oeuvre is often overlooked, he collaborated with designer Ladislav Sutnar and architect Otto Rothmayer to create striking ads that rival the work of better-known contemporaries. This aspect of his career was short lived, however. The nationalization of privately owned businesses in Czechoslovakia at the end of the Second World War, coupled with the Communist takeover of 1948, made advertising largely superfluous. In this volume, Sudek's striking commercial portfolio is presented for the first time. The book includes an introduction by Czech Modern art historian Vojtech Lahoda, as well as a complete bibliography.In 1978, Sonja Bullaty-a former student of Sudek's-edited the first monograph of his work, which firmly established his reputation as one of the great photographers of the twentieth century. That volume was unrivaled prior to the publication of this monograph, which, in concert with two other concurrently published books, creates the most extensive compilation of Sudek's work to date.

Ascher - although the name and the brand are entirely unknown in the Czech Republic, in Western Europe they have been synonymous with fine textile design for more than seventy years. This book traces the story of Zika Ascher and his wife Lida, whose personal and professional lives played out against the dramatic history of the 20th century. After…

Die Fotografien dokumentieren das Leben auf dem Land in Nordmähren und Böhmen und bieten eine umfassende fotografische sowie soziologische Studie, vergleichbar mit den Arbeiten von August Sander oder Eugene Atget. In einer einzigartigen Bildsprache, die im Verborgenen entstand, wird die Region, die von den Weltkriegen und einer Diktatur geprägt ist, beleuchtet. Jindřich Štreit thematisiert die Vereinzelung des Menschen im sozialistischen Kollektiv, während seine Bilder von Lebensfreude, Gemeinschaft und Solidarität im Privaten und bei Festen zeugen. Diese Kontraste zu den offiziellen staatlichen Feierlichkeiten verdeutlichen die Absurdität der damaligen Realität. Štreits dokumentarischer Stil und lyrischer Realismus basieren auf einer tiefen Vertrautheit mit den Menschen, die er fotografiert, was seine empfindsame Bildsprache prägt. Die Kritik an den Lebensverhältnissen ist in seinen Bildern stets präsent und wurde von der totalitären Staatsmacht als solche wahrgenommen, was zu einem Veröffentlichungsverbot und ständigen Kontrollen führte. Trotz seines Schaffens blieb er bis zum Ende des Sozialismus weitgehend unbekannt. Nach seiner Rehabilitierung in den 90er Jahren wurden seine Werke international anerkannt. In Tschechien ist er ein angesehener Fotograf und Lehrer, doch eine umfassende Monografie, die sein Werk über die Landesgrenzen hinaus bekannt macht, fehlt bisher auf dem internationalen Buchmarkt.

PAVEL MÁRA is a distinctive European photographer. Born in Prague in 1951, for almost two decades now he has been a teacher at the Institute of Creative Photography, Silesian University, Opava. That is the calling to which he was predestined by his art, which entails working with concepts and meticulously thinking things through. The look of his works often stems from new interpretations of the possibilities of the photographic medium. Mára creates in series, some of which are remarkable depictions of the organic and inorganic world in geometric shapes. He achieves that, for example, by how he selects his shots. He does not use the usual technique of manipulating the photographic image. Often striking, surprising, and sometimes even unreal, colour is an independent component of Mára’s photographs. Yet he also employs a detailed and bewitchingly clear transcription of photographed reality. His work in series excludes chance; it leaves the viewer in no doubt about the photographer’s intentions. (...) Derek & Marzia Paton