Men Without Masks
August Sander Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, W1S 2ET 18 MAY – 28 JULY Free
German born August Sander has been described as "the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century". Specialising in documentary and portrait photography, Sander has a vast body of work which is both well known and respected. For this particular exhibition, Hauser & Wirth focus on Sander's portrait responses to the diverse and growing social landscape of Germany between 1910-1930.
Despite the portraits all being taken in black and white, they are starkly different from one another. Every single subject has a different character and appearance than the last, even without the addition of colour. A range of class types and ethnicities are depicted in a respectful and empathetic manner. Sander considered empathy towards his subjects to be critical, whilst also trying to not influence his sitters, giving them full control and making the outcome a much more natural product.
The prints are displayed incredibly large in this exhibition, which makes the level of detail impressive and enables you to study the subject and their features. The works are beautiful, whilst many of the characters haunting. The eyes appear to be full of emotion, pain and experience, making the viewer all the more inquisitive the more they progress. Perhaps this pain and emotion evident in Sander's subjects was one of the reasons that the Nazi government destroyed the printing blocks for 'Face of our Time': a photographic book displaying Sander's portraits. Or maybe the reason being the publication's representation of a heterogeneous German society: something they were obviously trying to deny.
Overall, Sander's exhibition is moving, penetrating and captivating. It shows the various archetypes in society at the time in a truthful and frank manner, whilst reminding us that despite the differences in society we are all one and the same. Physical differentiation as well as class contrasts are what later Germany strived to be rid of. What Sander does is subtly remind us that we're all pink on the inside.
OVERALL RATING: ****
https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/14504-august-sander-men-without-masks
