Bill Brandt. Street Scene, London. 1936

Bill Brandt Street Scene, London 1936

  • Not on view

This picture, first published in Brandt’s book A Night in London in 1938, recalls the work of the Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï, who had a particular talent for capturing illicit, marginalized, or unconventional activity in the lamplit streets of Paris. Many of Brandt’s pictures, however, feature his family members playing roles. Here he placed his brother and sister-in-law, Rolf and Esther Brandt, in front of a large poster. Using a nearby streetlight or perhaps his own floodlight, Brandt cast Rolf’s profile in melodramatic shadow. The artifice necessary to make a work was irrelevant for Brandt so long as he felt the picture rang true.

Gallery label from Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light, March 6–August 12, 2013.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
9 1/16 × 7 11/16" (23 × 19.6 cm)
Credit
Purchase
Object number
613.2006
Copyright
© 2021 Estate of Bill Brandt
Department
Photography

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