Jan Saudek
Encyclopedia
Jan Saudek is a Czech art photographer
.
during World War II
. Jan and his brother Karel were held in a children's concentration camp located near the present Polish
-Czech border. He survived the war and according to his own biography got his first camera KODAK BABY Brownie in 1950. He aprenticed to a photographer and in 1952 started working as a print shop worker, where he worked until 1983. In 1959 he started using more advanced camera Flexaret 6x6, also engaged in painting and drawing. After completing his military service, he was inspired in 1963 by the exhibit catalogue of Steichen's
Family of Man to try to become a serious art photographer. In 1969 he traveled to the United States and was encouraged in his work by curator Hugh Edwards.
Returning to Prague, he was forced to work in a clandestine manner in a cellar, to avoid the attentions of the secret police, as his work turned to themes of personal erotic freedom, and used implicitly political symbols of corruption and innocence. From the late 1970s he gradually became recognised in the West as the leading Czech photographer, and also developed a following among photographers in his own country. In 1983 the first book on his work was published in the English-speaking world. The same year he finally becomes a freelance photographer as the Czech Communist authorities allowed him to cease working in the print shop, and gave him permission to apply for a permit to work as an artist. In 1987 the archives of his negatives were seized by the police, but later returned.
Saudek currently lives and works in Prague
. His brother Karel Saudek
is also an artist, and is now the best-known Czech graphic novel
ist.
, and the work of Bernard Faucon
. His early art photography is noted for its evocation of childhood. Later his works often portrayed the evolution from child to adult (re-photographing the same composition/pose, and with the same subjects, over many years). Religious motives or the ambiguity between man and woman have also been some of Jan Saudek's recurring themes. His work was the subject of attempts at censorship in the West during the 1990s.
Some of the works of Jan Saudek have entered popular culture in the West, being used as covers for the CD albums of Anorexia Nervosa
(New Obscurantis Order
), Soul Asylum
(Grave Dancers Union
), Daniel Lanois
(For the Beauty of Wynona
), and Beautiful South (Welcome to the Beautiful South
).
Jan Saudek's Black Sheep & White Crow which features a semi-naked prepubescent girl was removed from the Ballarat International Foto Biennale on the eve of its opening on August 21, 2011 following child prostitution claims.
Fine art photography
Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to...
.
Life
Saudek's father was a Jew and the family was therefore persecuted by Germans. Many of his family members died in the Theresienstadt concentration campTheresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Jan and his brother Karel were held in a children's concentration camp located near the present Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-Czech border. He survived the war and according to his own biography got his first camera KODAK BABY Brownie in 1950. He aprenticed to a photographer and in 1952 started working as a print shop worker, where he worked until 1983. In 1959 he started using more advanced camera Flexaret 6x6, also engaged in painting and drawing. After completing his military service, he was inspired in 1963 by the exhibit catalogue of Steichen's
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
Family of Man to try to become a serious art photographer. In 1969 he traveled to the United States and was encouraged in his work by curator Hugh Edwards.
Returning to Prague, he was forced to work in a clandestine manner in a cellar, to avoid the attentions of the secret police, as his work turned to themes of personal erotic freedom, and used implicitly political symbols of corruption and innocence. From the late 1970s he gradually became recognised in the West as the leading Czech photographer, and also developed a following among photographers in his own country. In 1983 the first book on his work was published in the English-speaking world. The same year he finally becomes a freelance photographer as the Czech Communist authorities allowed him to cease working in the print shop, and gave him permission to apply for a permit to work as an artist. In 1987 the archives of his negatives were seized by the police, but later returned.
Saudek currently lives and works in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. His brother Karel Saudek
Kája Saudek
Kája Saudek is a Czech comics illustrator. He is one of the most important exponents of the Czech comics since the late 1960s. He is the twin brother of the photographer and painter Jan Saudek.- Biography :...
is also an artist, and is now the best-known Czech graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
ist.
Work
His best-known work is noted for its hand-tinted portrayal of painterly dream worlds, often inhabited by nude or semi-nude figures surrounded by bare plaster walls or painted backdrops, frequently re-using identical elements (for instance, a clouded sky or a view of Prague's Charles Bridge). In this they echo the studio and tableaux works of mid nineteenth century erotic photographers, as well as the works of the painter BalthusBalthus
Balthasar Klossowski de Rola , best known as Balthus, was an esteemed but controversial Polish-French modern artist....
, and the work of Bernard Faucon
Bernard Faucon
Bernard Faucon is a French photographer and writer.Faucon was born in Apt, in Provence, southern France. He was taught at the lycée in Apt, then graduated in Philosophy from the Sorbonne in 1973. Until 1977 he worked as a fine art painter, and thereafter discovered photography...
. His early art photography is noted for its evocation of childhood. Later his works often portrayed the evolution from child to adult (re-photographing the same composition/pose, and with the same subjects, over many years). Religious motives or the ambiguity between man and woman have also been some of Jan Saudek's recurring themes. His work was the subject of attempts at censorship in the West during the 1990s.
Some of the works of Jan Saudek have entered popular culture in the West, being used as covers for the CD albums of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa (band)
Anorexia Nervosa is a French symphonic black metal band that started as an industrial metal act from Limoges, France. The band was formed in 1995 and was active for ten years thereafter...
(New Obscurantis Order
New Obscurantis Order
New Obscurantis Order is the third album by the French symphonic black metal band Anorexia Nervosa.-Track listing:# "Mother Anorexia"# "Châtiment De La Rose" # "Black Death, Nonetheless"# "Stabat Mater Dolorosa"...
), Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
(Grave Dancers Union
Grave Dancers Union
Grave Dancers Union is the official sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Soul Asylum, released in 1992...
), Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
(For the Beauty of Wynona
For the Beauty of Wynona
For the Beauty of Wynona is the second album by Canadian songwriter and record producer Daniel Lanois. It was released in 1993 .The album cover photograph was taken by renowned Czech artist Jan Saudek.-Track listing:...
), and Beautiful South (Welcome to the Beautiful South
Welcome to the Beautiful South
Welcome to the Beautiful South is the debut album by The Beautiful South released in August 1989. Three singles were released from the album: "Song for Whoever" , "You Keep It All In" and "I'll Sail This Ship Alone" ....
).
Jan Saudek's Black Sheep & White Crow which features a semi-naked prepubescent girl was removed from the Ballarat International Foto Biennale on the eve of its opening on August 21, 2011 following child prostitution claims.
Books
- Jan Saudek http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/photography/all/facts/01758.htm (1998, TaschenTaschenTaschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
) ISBN 3-8228-7916-9 - Pouta lásky (Chains of Love). [Saudek.com] ISBN 80-239-8225-7
- Saudek. Prague: Slovart. ISBN 80-7209-727-X
- Saudek, Jan: Ženatý, svobodný, rozvedený, vdovec. Prague: Slovart, 2000. ISBN 80-7209-701-6
- Saudek, Jan: Národní divadlo 2006/07. National Theatre 2006/07 Season. Prague: Národní divadlo, 2007. ISBN 978-80-7258-019
Films
- Jan Saudek: Prague Printemps (1990). (26-minute film by Jerome de Missolz about Saudek).
- Jan Saudek: Bound by Passion (2008). (feature length film by Adolf ZikaAdolf ZikaAdolf Zika is a Czech photographer.- Early life :Adolf Zika was born in the then Czechoslovakia in 1972. He graduated from the School of Pedagogy and in 1988 became a member of the Center for Top Sports in Prague...
about Jan Saudek).