André Kertész, Man Reading with Magnifying Glass, New York (1959). © The Estate of André Kertész / Stephen Bulger Gallery
Exhibition: On Reading: André Kertész, The Photographers' Gallery, London, until October 4 2009
A poetic study of the simple pleasure of reading, has transformed the ground floor of London's Photographers' Gallery into a sanctuary this August.
André Kertész's photographic depictions of anonymous subjects engaged in the act of reading explore the culture of the written word, while also illuminating our understanding of the birth of photojournalism.
Hungarian-born Kertész is considered one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, and this is the first time that photographs from On Reading have been shown in the UK. Taken between 1915 and 1980, they represent Kertész's lifelong obsession with this universally absorbing pursuit.
André Kertész, Boy Reading Newspaper (1944). © The Estate of André Kertész / Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery
Kertész presents images from everywhere he has lived – Argentina, France, Hungary, the USA and the UK. It is the subjects, though, who fascinate. Whether in exotic Manila or prosaic Washington Square, their poses are frequently the same – leaning forward in awed concentration or propped up on one elbow.
Kertész invites the viewer to read his subjects' expressions, to try and imagine the parallel universes they inhabit or the ramifications their quest for knowledge may have on their lives.
Our interpretations are affected by the layout of the images. A tramp crouches over what appears to be a fragment of paper in a market scene in the Far East. Even amid such chaotic destitution his face is a study in calm aspiration.
André Kertész, Washington Square, New York City (1969).© The Estate of André Kertész / Stephen Bulger Gallery
His efforts to escape the reality of poverty are all the more powerful when one looks at the neighbouring image – a woman sitting in the comfort of a Long Island university, delicately thumbing heavy leather volumes.
The juxtaposition of young and old is everywhere. An aged man leans over a row of books in New York with a magnifying glass, while a young child perches on a fire escape studying a book, his body so minute as to be almost invisible.
The shots are invariably taken from high vantage points – stairwells, balconies and rooftops, characterised by the play of light and shadow. They range from abstract, formal pieces to wryly humorous comments on everyday life, firmly establishing Kertész as one of the foremost street photographers.
André Kertész, Esztergom, Hungary (1915). © The Estate of André Kertész / Stephen Bulger Gallery
The exhibition encourages the viewer to trace the similarities between apparently disconnected images. The consistent use of shadow on individual faces conceals features, adding to the mystique.
If one image sums up Kertész's project, it would be 1944's Boy Reading Newspaper. Slouched on a tumbling pile of newspapers in the street, a boy eyes a cartoon strip intently. Pointedly, the remainder of the heap containing the written articles has been discarded and lies strewn and ripped across the pavement.
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