August Sander is best known for portraits: portraits of everyone. When he was still quite young, he decided that he wanted to depict "People of the 20th Century" arranged by origin and occupation. While the work as a whole was divided into seven groups, hardly any occupation, profession or status in life was overlooked. These seven groups included "The Farmer," "The Artisan," The Women," "The Estates," "The Artists," "The Big City," and "The Last Men."
His work would contain more than 45 portfolios. The final portfolio consisted of "Idiots, the Sick, Mentally Ill and the Dead." "We must be able to bear seeing the truth," Sander had written. He had a credo that he had written for his first exhibit: "There is nothing I detest more than sugar-coasted photography with its frills, poses and effects."
It makes you wonder, under which group and portfolio would you fall?
Fascinating. I'd never heard of him before, and you told his story wonderfully.
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