André Kertész and His Influence Regarding Photojournalism and Surrealism

Kristin Steele

History 539

Prof. Dudik

April 20, 2012

André Kertész and His Influence Regarding Photojournalism and Surrealism

Henri Cartier Bresson, who has been hailed by many as the father of photojournalism, once said of himself, Robert Capa, and Brassai, "Whatever we have done, Kertész did first."1 Bresson was referencing the fantastic strides that Kertesz made in photography and his ability to capture life in his photographs. Through my research, I wanted to better understand Kertesz's influence on the photography medium itself and the impact he had on other photographers. Andre Kertesz was a silent partner, so to speak, in the development of photography. He was a man of few words, but his photos told entire stories in a glance. His poetic vision allowed him to turn photographs of everyday life into art. Kertész was ahead of his time when it came to his view on photography: that a great moment is always there waiting to be captured. He was quoted in the 1930s as saying, "I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my life."2 By looking more in depth into the life and work of André Kertész, even more of the genius of this master photographer can be seen. My research is organized into the commonly used categories for Kertész: the Hungarian period, the Parisian period, and the New York period. In the Hungarian period, Kertész introduces himself to the medium. He takes photos of everything around him. In the Parisian period, his style is affected by the many artists he positions himself around. He develops a distinct style and photographs the city of Paris and her people in a very successful photojournalistic fashion. He also creates some of his most highly acclaimed Surrealist work here as well. In the New York period, Kertész struggles to gain recognition of his talent and goes on to create more photojournalistic photos of the city of New York.3

It was in his birthplace of Hungary where he first began to take photographs of street life. It was like he was born with this incredible sense of when to capture the moment in a snapshot. When he went into service in World War I, he photographed his fellow soldiers while at their leisure rather than while at combat. By doing this, he was able to capture moments of their lives as individuals, not just their work as soldiers. Rather than focusing on the devastation of war, he focused on the individual involved. Kertész sought to record individual emotion as he saw it to be more relatable than the broad political spectrum of the war. It was during these years that he made photographs of soldiers swimming in the pools in Eztergom as they recovered from their war wounds. The photo Underwater Swimmer, 1917, was taken during this time and it would influence Kertész later in life.4 Here we see light, distortion, irregularity, yet a lyricism and softness - all traits of Kertész. In Hungary, his photos of his family, street life of peasants, and army life charmed many and set a humanitarian tone to his work.5

In Paris, Kertész was exposed to a culture and atmosphere unlike any other he had ever experienced or ever would again. It was here that he further developed the idea of photographer as journalist and where he developed his surrealist style. While in Paris, he took photos of everyday existence. Paris in all her colors and forms: spring, summer, fall, winter; rain, shine, snow; and night and day. He photographed every detail of the streets: the cafés, the tables, the chairs, and the shadows of the chairs. He overlooked nothing. The images associated with his street life shots of Paris were extremely successful and these are the photos that have done so much in regards to photojournalism. He honestly portrayed his subjects the way they were. He began photographing portraits of artists while in Paris. An example of how Kertész let the individuality of his subject shine through that stands out for me was the account of Kertész photographing Piet Mondrian and his studio. Kertész was introduced to Mondrian through their mutual friend, Michel Seuphor. Mondrian's studio was very unique and very "Mondrian". So much so that one might say that Mondrian became his studio and vice versa. Kertész's portrait of Mondrian with his squarish mustache gives credit to the idea. In his apartment that was so clean cut and minimal to its core, Kertész produced one of the most famous and reproduced photos of all time: Chez Mondrian, 1926. The reason that I believe Kertész's experience in Mondrian's studio is so pivotal is that he was able to capture this famous image. He was able to find this one piece of nature (although it was a faux flower) and capture it in its place there in this so precisely designed atmosphere. A defining characteristic of Kertész's style, photographing a geometric form juxtaposed with nature, was reinforced after this meeting. Photographing Mondrian's studio disciplined the lyrical eye of Kertész.6 He was able to successfully combine Modernist form with his uncanny sense of documentary photography. He combined these by using aerial views and contrasts of near and far. He never abandoned his love and dependency on the element of chance. Even in his now highly acclaimed Distortions (1933) taken in Paris, Kertész recalled the chance factor that made the subject of the female nude less boring and predictable: "with every movement of the model, there was some interesting transformation, some fantastic designs."7 He had been captivated by optical distortions since the war, like the previously mentioned Underwater Swimmer (1917). His Distortions series was likened to his scenes of street life as well. He was a sensitive viewer of the streets and their people. Some of his street life photos were of