Gabriele Conrad-SchollReseñas

This collection of black-and-white photographs portrays the power of the coal mine and of industry in general, I think. I found the shapes and sizes of the machinery and buildings to be pretty fascinating in the artistry of black-and-white photography, too.

One has to spend time with these volumes to appreciate their contents and the accomplishments of producing them. The reproductions are remarkably fine. One of the greatest masters of the posed photographic portrait, Sander deserves this kind of attention to his effort. Rarely does a concept as grand as Sander's get so far in its execution, so well edited, preserved and finely reproduced for significant distribution (the volumes are tri-lingual). His project, "to get a total picture of society" was. of course, impossible. But in his reach he created a masterwork that stands out in the history of photography. With costume, pose, and environment, he bares the question, how much understanding can photography communicate with just these elements? To suggest any answer requires a serious study of these fine seven volumes.