August Sander: The Intimacy of Time
The singular power of portraiture's 20th century master.
[Frau eines Malers [Helene Abelen] (Painter's Wife [Helene Abelen]), ca. 1926 (printed 1972), Gelatin silver print] I remember—always with the same strong feeling of clarity—the first time I saw a collection of portraits by the German photographer August Sander. It was a couple of summers ago in New York. I had spent a few days shrink-wrapped by anxiety, my mind blurred and alienated. I walked past the gallery and felt a pull, an invisible open signal, and so I entered. About ten black-and-white works, taken in the early 20th century, hung eye-level on the wall, each presenting a stranger with
