Josef Sudek

theartofphotography.tv/episode...
/ tedforbes
/ josef-sudek
Josef Sudek was a wonderful Czech photographer who had a great influence on me when I started out as a photographer.
Born in 1896, Sudek's work can be divided into two distinctive periods. He started out as a pictorialist and then later his work becomes post-pictorialist going between several genre's including romanticism and modernism.
But despite the category, Sudek's work is comprised of a compositional style that remains intact which is quite impressive for any photographer, particularly of his generation.

[@f4ust85]

Perhaps it could have been empasized more how the fact that Sudek lost his arm in the war dramatically influenced his work: this was an era of large format cameras and Sudek was certainly handicapped by only having one arm to carry his grear and set up his scenes. He was this well-known figure seen in the streets of Prague, a weak, old man with a hunchback, carrying his large format and a heavy wooden tripods around the city, very often visiting the places he was about to photograph for several months to observe how light behaves on certain days of the year before ever taking a shot. Anyway, I would encourage anyone to visit his old studio when in Prague, it serves as a tiny gallery to other "underdog" photographers nowadays, with entrance fee around $1, the place is simply magical.

[@limebluphotography8462]

I am a photographer, I post my work under multiple names and multiple genres. I work very hard and try to produce work which continues to challenge my technique and my mind. You are taking me , a self taught photographer, to a new level. Your style of educating makes me want to learn, want to explore and take from the past to mould my future. Thank you and carry on, you are doing fantastic and it is greatly appreciated. All the best.

[@TLeightonWomack]

Thanks for sharing these Ted. Mr. Sudek has instantly become one of my favorite photographers.

[@Oliveandcheese]

His work is totally different from others. I love his art work at first sight.

[@MGraslund]

Another excellent show Ted! You have taught me so much about photography and I can never thank you enough. Well, Thanks...! Take care! /Marcus (from Sweden)

[@VictorSalus]

Another great video, as informative and insightful as ever. The Art Gallery of Ontario had a large exhibition of Sudek's work a couple of years back. As you point out, he was a true artist, never letting fashion and ephemeral trends impinge on a truly personal vision. Thank you for bringing Sudek's wonderful, beautiful, photography to a wider audience.

[@RogerFennLPCC]

Thanks so much Ted! Only way I would have known about Sudak. Love what you showed us. Again Thanks

[@elmachomen]

Wonderful discovery. I didn´t know him and I have to say his work is remarcable and very inspiring. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and stay safe!

[@sjmyamamoto]

I've always liked his work and subconsciously I've shot photos with his sensibilities attached without knowing till later.

[@waynepa8375]

This has inspired me to experiment with light more, thanks Ted, love your shows.

[@lukasprochazkaprod]

My favorite photographer, I have book where he talks about his life, he had great opinions and attitude to photography, art and life in general

[@perropatata]

what a great show Ted... thank very much for such quality

[@theartofphotography]

Thanks for watching!

[@EricBryan]

Great video on such a timeless artist. His panoramics are incredible as well, and the book he published called Prague Panoramics is considered one of the greatest book of panoramas ever made.

[@BenjiSamosir]

he has a dreamy, surreal,ethereal quality about his photos...

[@tonyhayes9827]

Such a good show. Thanks for these.

[@matthewvonblerk9675]

my favourite photographer !

[@JenniferM13]

Amazing pictures. So beautiful!. Thank you for introducing me to Josef's work.

[@theartofphotography]

Anytime! Glad you like it!!

[@nw10photography]

Thanks for putting this together. Really informative and inspirational.

[@macbookdieter]

I know this is an old post, but thanks Ted. I really appreciate your hard work.

[@snoek1971]

Great episode Ted! Thanks again....:-)

[@TheNo85307]

Thank you so much for another great video! :) How about Jan Saudek next time? :) He shoots with Flexaret. Btw, I'm Czech as well and it makes me so proud that people from other part of the world like our photographers, musician, painters etc. Thank you, Ted! You're amazing :)

[@FilmFactry]

A favorite of mine. Thanks!

[@f1remandg]

Fascinating! I’ve watched you for some time now, I mean as a presenter of the Art of photography and you are a Geek a Nerd and like anyone who has found their talent or interest that keeps them happy in the realms of in the realms of, a talented and very entertaining photographer, who obviously adores the skills and the results of what it conveys, like an artist. I think finding this one now, that I’ve just watched was inspiring really inspiring, I will certainly look over a Pinterest and look at your own work, clever very clever, I get something out of them, I recently acquired a Reid 2 with lens and my, anyway too much personal information, my mum’s mum, my Nana who used to come every Sunday and when she visited us, fond memories that is what photographs evoke, she was 99 when she died born in 1883 and her father was a photographer and had his own studios in Manchester, in the UK, which I didn’t know about until the 2000s, but I’ve always been interested in photography and what it does to everyone that sees these tactile scraps of paper, like music it sends the mind to different places and evokes many deep emotions. Don’t stop what you are doing, because what you’re doing is really fascinating and matters! DG New Forest U.K.

[@SirMo]

I love your channel. Been following it for a year now. Could you please do an episode on one of my favourite photographers, Sebastião Salgado?

[@claudiomelodia8453]

Hi! Thanks for sharing your awesome videos. Will you ever make one on Andre Kertesz? Cheers from Italy!

[@petrvokurek2286]

Once again, Ted, a great video. Thank you so much for your work! Josef Sudek...yeah, it´s a love affair...I´m proud to be Czech but know this has nothing to do with it :) When i was a teenager (a long time ago) and saw his first book I was so much drawn to his photograps. For a long time I couldn´t figure out why. Now I know. It´s art. Maybe we should all follow his example- live an extraorinarily simple life and concentarte on what actually counts...

[@houseofsteezy4119]

It reminds me of Fan Ho’s work in terms of the way Sudek and Fan Ho use light. :)

[@kylewood8327]

Love his images, especially when using light rays.

[@andrewrussell2845]

I'm very impressed by Sudeks work and almost as impressed by Ted Forbes lack of the need to breathe between spoken sentences.

[@stilllife-artandthephotogr3494]

Excellent work.

[@EdEditz]

Do you have a video about Dutch photographer Ed Van Der Elsken? He was the master of street portraits, would be cool to see you do a video about him.

[@TheNo85307]

Wow, thank you so much! I've never heard of him. But his work looks just amazing!

[@EdEditz]

TheNo85307 Cool. Yeah he's quite famous here in The Netherlands but I don't think many people elsewhere heard of him. His portraits of late 70 early 80's punkers are really cool. He was a good film maker too.

[@Jeff-jg7jh]

@@EdEditz If the Dutch photograph like they paint I'm interested. Never thought ab out the connection.

[@adamkencki]

Sudek actually photographed even before the military service

[@CraigKratovil]

Thank you Ted

[@ondroidv]

Great video as always! Are you planning on doing a video on James Nachtwey or Patrick Chauvel some day in the future? Both have done and are still doing some amazing work.

[@PerMoenCaptain]

Thank you so much.

[@sallyb7101]

Fascinating, particularly about stirring up the dust to show the light. Just wondering whether we would ever get some of these ‘naturally’ given that cigarette smoking has now been banned from most indoor public venues.

[@KAUSTUBH447]

Watching this in Aug 2022.

[@evalentin100]

l fully enjoy your talks on the great photographers. Keep up the good work.Edmund Valentin from Melbourne Australia.

[@ThatGamingGuyfromthe70s]

Great video of a great photographer. I saw his exhibition in Prague a few years ago, it was great to see prints of his work. If you like photgraphers who use light in an exceptional way check out Fan Ho, i have his book Hong Kong Yesterday and his work is sublime. Cheers, jon

[@theartofphotography]

Fan Ho is amazing too!

[@drawcomics]

Awesome video as always. One little nitpick if I may... You might not need to hold on the link screen for so long. Sometimes I like to catch up on your videos in a playlist while I'm dong the dishes and a minute is quite a long pause between videos. Minor gripe. Again, great video

[@indigogabriel]

Thank you!!

[@jilpoke]

I enjoy watching this series on early artist.

[@fadedsun303]

Is it possible to get images like the image at 8:43 with modern cameras without editing? It seems very specific to the type of old camera and film he was using.

[@Charger425]

Very possibly, yes. If the camera is set up properly. As Ted points out in the video, Sudek's assistant helped in stirring dust, which when airborne, would catch the sunlight. A very interesting and simple approach to achieve the effect he was after. The only difference really between what Sudek was using and a modern day digital, is film vs sensor. Other than that, a DSLR etc when set on fully manual, the concept is more or less identical.

[@stepitup5409]

I traveled to Pargue just to stand in some of the places he took pictures

[@RetiOrchid58]

There's a new book from an exhibition this last year entitled "The Intimate World of Josef Sudek"/«Le monde à ma fenêtre». There's some colour in it.

[@leonardo747]

Ted, I've been following you for sometime now & just came across this video. I have recently come across Sudek's work at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. It is also home of the Canadian Photography Institute. They are currently displaying a significant body of his work. www.gallery.ca/sudek/en/ According to their website they house the largest collection of Sudek's work outside of the Czech Republic. The current exhibition runs until 26 Feb, 2017. If you want to make a quick trip up here, I'd love to show it to you!

[@adamkencki]

the strange still life you talk about I think belong to the series Still lifes after Caravaggio. He would often make still lifes after work of painters

[@Mandibela]

How 'bout a video of Jan Saudek, a czech as well?

[@vandenik]

Who knows the quote @ Josef Sudek: «I photograph 'cause I don't know yet how to do that. if I knew it, I'd stop that.» Is it translated correctly into English?

[@vincentfikar480]

Perfect

[@Astyanaz]

Does anyone else see the pale image of a person at the top of the light above the inner side of the vase?

[@KIFQHESE]

Ted, well, by the time pictorialists surfaced as a movement (~1890), photography was established and respected as an art form. Check out O.G. Reijlander and H.P. Robinson for the people who did the work of making it a form of art and later P.H. Emerson, as he's the guy who actually stopped pretending photography should work just like painting. Emerson's work predates pictorialism, and pictorialists actually explored his standpoint, just negating, transcending his naturalism by developing broad range of photographic means and techniques. If some work looks like painting or drawing, well, woodcuts can look like watercolors, paintings like photographs; it's not mimicking, it's an artist showing skills.

[@victorwhitby4401]

Great pics how about the Brit David bailey regards

[@StefonGrant]

cool.

[@adamkencki]

There is a rumour, thak Sudek´s sister, Božena, would actually boil water to make the windows get humid... but maybe it´s just one of the myths ;)

[@luisboaventura22]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@donsemo4804]

I thought he was experiencing with using a box camera before he went to war, and that he brought his own camera to war.

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

Did you try to breathe while speaking ? I had to slow down 15% to continue viewing/listening this video. Anyway i found this interesting. Thank you.

[@AegidPhoto]

Thanks Ted for making us aware ofJosef Sudek.I found a film about him in German. vimeo.com/47500341

[@Jeff-jg7jh]

Well, I'll be. I was thinking Yoyo(as per one poster)was from the 1880's He actually spilled into my time. ASA 100. Had his assistant throw some dust in the air. Don't tell everyone.

[@janvalis4954]

It is pronounced "Yosef", like yoyo. Otherwise beautiful video, thank you :-)

[@KratasCRAFT]

Josef in czech is pronounced Yosef

[@Boatzerama]

He died in 76.

[@Igaluit]

All the extraneous details are very distracting. There are plenty of videos here to cover all bases.

[@williejackson8279]

"His arm amputated"? He had only one? Or had one amputated? Why do you keep looking away from the camera? Looks shifty and is distracting.

[@theartofphotography]

Having a channel with no info and no avatar looks shifty.

[@JanVotava75]

He lived with only one hand, if that answers your question.

[@lauraner99]

+Jan Votava Fascinating, thinking of how he dragged the massive large format camera everywhere he went.

[@JanVotava75]

Indeed. And even more fascinating is the fact, that if he hadn't lost his arm in WW I, he'd probably kept working as bookbinder and never had a career of a great photographer.

[@LiteratureTodayUK]

Why do you assume the viewer is unfamiliar with the images of Sudek in the first place? ("Let me show you..." etc) I have many reservations about this video.

[@theartofphotography]

+Literature Today UK I have many reservations about this comment.

[@swedesrus25]

Sounds as if you do not benefit from Ted Forbes and his instructive videos....perhaps bed for you to move on. The rest of us enjoy learning regardless of the time the video was posted.

[@johnLee-bb2do]

I had never heard of him. Thank you Ted-I watched it twice.