Wednesday, September 17, 2014

August Sander

(17 November 1876 – 20 April 1964) was a German portrait and documentary photographer.








Monday, June 9, 2014

Romualdas Požerskis

Romualdas Požerskis is a Lithuanian photographer and a 1990 recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize. He attended Kaunas Kaunas Polytechnic Institute from 1969 to 1975, and has been a member of the Lithuanian Union of Art Photographers since 1976
 Wikipedia
                                                 Pilgrimages. Povandenė,1978


Lithuanian photography trends in the 1960s were shaped by Antanas Sutkus, Romualdas Rakauskas, Algimantas Kunčius, Aleksandras Macijauskas and other renowned Lithuanian photographers.  Romualdas Požerskis appeared on the scene ten years later, however his works exhibit a continuation of the traditions of the "Lithuanian School" of photography, particularly in his series entitled Pilgrimages.
For nearly two decades, from 1974 to 1993, Požerskis documented church festivals held in villages around Lithuania.  The majority of the images for this series were produced in the style most characteristic of the "Lithuanian School", namely photo reportage, immortalizing the rituals, feasts and the socializing that always took place afterward.  Like his older colleagues, Požerskis preserved the imagery of Lithuanian village traditions for future viewers.
The Pilgrimages series shares one more element in common with Lithuanian photographic tradition: a humanistic world view that united the photographers of the "Lithuanian School".  According to Požerskis, art is the ability to grow closer to another human being, rather than an external effect or an unrestrained form of self-expression.
Požerskis' humanistic view of society is clearly revealed in a photograph entitled Pilgrimages. Povandenė, of 1978.  In the foreground, we see an elderly couple kissing, a symbol of ageless love and a warm human bond, while, in the background, a couple of well-dressed young girls establish a festive mood in a setting that suggests the entire episode is a snapshot of Lithuanian village life.

The photograph presents a visual metaphor of eternal values, preserved in the traditional village way of life and passed from generation to generation.  A poetic view of the lives of average people and the extolling of basic human values in a broad visual language is what unites the different generations of photographers of the "Lithuanian School".



 Information in the Internet (Union of the Lithuanian Art Photographers)


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4TZa0kYWLas

Sunday, June 8, 2014

“Amerigo Vespucci” by Unknown Author


1963: Departure of the “Amerigo Vespucci”, Italy

 The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship of the Marina Militare, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Its home port is La Spezia, Italy, and it is in use as a school ship. More


 I'm so sorry I couldn't find more info on  these B&W old photos and I can only say one thing with certainty, that this is the Amerigo Vespucci ship. Furthermore, location is probably the Naples port, although many on web say it's Egypt, but Egypt was most likely the destination. The date of photos taken is also uncertain (could be older) especially having in mind Italian invasion of Egypt , but that's pure speculation. 

Thursday, February 20, 2014


"Desiderata", 1967 by Larry Keenan (1943 - 2012)

In the words of Larry Keenan: "the kind of photography I started doing in art school was man & nature images. While driving along the South Shore beach, I saw the shadow on the mudflats. When we stopped, I asked my brother Bob to walk out and stand in the center of the dry area. I photographed him using a new wide-angle lens I had just gotten for Christmas from my parents. A couple of years later the photo was published as the very popular "Desiderata" poster."

Max Ehrmann's Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Larry Keenan's Biography