Josef Sudek (Czechoslovakia, 1896 to 1976)
Josef Sudek is celebrated for the luminous landscapes and still lifes he created during a 40 year-long career. He initially set out to be a bookbinder but, after being injured in combat during the first World War and losing his right arm, he shifted vocations. As a young artist Sudek was influenced by painting, particularly the romantic Czech landscape painting of the turn-of-the-century. To best replicate the soft and subtle tones of these works, he briefly utilized a photographic technique known as pigment printing in the 1920′s. His masterful technique and sensitivity to light and shade infuse his work with a haunting lyricism that amplifies photographic expression as we know it.
Information courtesy of Swann Galleries Inc. October 2003