Bill Brandt
(1904-1983)
Early Years
- Born in 1904 in Hamburg.
- At 16, he suffered from Tuberculosis and went through loads of treatment until 22. This was when he met Dr Eugene Schwarzwald who recommended him to a lung specialist.
- Dr Schwarzwald was also the person who helped Brandt go onto the path of Photography. After the successful treatment, she gave him a studio run by an ex student in Vienna.
- This was where Bill Brandt met his first wife.
- Brandt may have wanted to do photography due to the new sense of excitement that attracted people of his generation, at that time. Annuals were produced, containing plates of new models of photography.
- After taking a photograph of the famous American poet, Ezra Pound, he was asked to go to America and work in the studio of Man Ray.
- Bill Brandt took the offer and for a few years, worked with Man Ray, therefore he was in the heart of Surrealism. This became a great influence through out his photography years.
Caledonian Market (1929)
Britain
- Brandt moved to London in 1932. He used his kitchen as a dark room.
- Influenced by Euegene Atget's Paris street life photography. Brandt took many photos of Britain from a perspective that could only be done through foreign eyes.
- He produced a few books on Britain, one being ' A night in London', printed in black & white, it captured the modern night life of the capital. He 'directed' all of his photographs, planning every aspect, a new method in the 30's.
- In the 1940's, Brandt took the job as Photojournalist. He took photos of air raid shelters for the government to check the conditions and he also was part of a bombing.
- From 1945 - 1950, Brandt produced landscape photos of the British Isles. This was influenced by his love of literacy such as Thomas Hardy, the Bronte sisters and John Clare.
- His landscape work links with his portrait work, he was just taking conceptual photos of the ancestors of literacy.
Isle Of Sky; after James Boswell
Poem that goes with it:
....a wild nest
Further, more truly west, on a bare height
Where nothing need be useful and the breakers
Came and came but never made any progress
And children were reborn every night
Day of renewal (1950-51)
Portraits
- From the 1950's to 1981, Brandt took portrait assignments.
- His photographic prints contained themes of strong contrast and high vanishing points.
- He used a Superwide Hasselblad, which had a 90 degree angle lens, which was great for Brand'ts portrait interiors.
- Took photos of many artists such as David Hockney, Rene Magritte and Francis Bacon.
Francis Bacon (1963)
Nudes
- ' Nudes, at that time, were photographed in studios. I thought of photographing them in real rooms...'
- Brandt studied female nudes and took photos for over 15 years (1945- 1960). He produced a book called 'Perspective Nudes'. This contained 90 photos showing the exploration.
- 'Perspective Nudes' is split into 6 sections:
- The 1st section- Nudes shadowed in stately home interiors, a theme of Victorian decor.
- 2nd Section- Smaller rooms.
- 3rd section- Body fills the frame
- 4th section- Nude on the sea shore with natural light.
- 5th section- A studio with mechanical instruments. Contrasting with the figure.
- 6th section- Erotic sense to the photos, back to the sea shore. Only certain parts of the body.
- A later addition to the collection saw Brandt explore his Surrealist past. He replaced parts of the body with other objects. E.G- apples for breasts. Also, mirrors to change the body like mutilation.
- Brandt wanted a camera which would give an altered perspective and a less conventional image. He used a Kodak Wide Angle camera which was initally used in the Police Department in the 1930's.
- Due to this camera, Brandt was almost working blind, but it added chance to the photography, a Surrealist influence.
- The close up photos are influenced by Man Ray and his female torso photographs. But also Picasso's ' close up ' paintings of nudes in the 1930's.
- In the early 30's, when Brandt was in America, his work was placed next to Brassai's 'Ciel Postiche'. They later became friends, but this photograph could have some influence on his nude photography.
My Opinion
I have looked at Brandt due to his close up nude photographs. This is because they look like a landscape. He has used unique angles to create interesting photographs. I would like to also do this however I am struggling to find a willing model!! My photos would be in colour, a different interpretation to Brandt's. However, by learning Brandt's life, I have understood how he came to producing the nude photographs and the different projects along the way. I have also discovered the impact of the culture around him had affected his work. Photography was a brand new technology in his generation and he was a leading pioneer of certain techniques, I feel its very difficult to understand that in this day of age where photography is so easy to do.
Bibliography
Brandt Nudes- By Lawrence Durell & Mark Hamworth- Booth. Thames & Hudson
ISBN -978-0-500-97042-3
Bill Brandt- Behind the Camera- By David Mellor & Mark Hamworth-Booth. Phaidon Press
ISBN 0-7148-2402-X
Photographs of work were taken from the 2 books above.
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