The Art of photography

PhotographyandTime:Suspended

Animation

InthelifelongprojectthattheGerman

photographerAugustSandercalledMenofthe

20thCentury,

thisportraitofaColognelaborer

withaloado>brickswasoneamonghundredsof

preciselyposedstudiesofSander'scountrymen

Thetime

isbothdefiniteandambiguous:The

youngmanhaspausedbetweentakinguphis

burdenandlayingitdown,butthereisno

indication ofhour,

day

—

orevenyear.Holding

his

poseasifstandingstillforaportraitpainter,the

subjectrevealshistradewithdignitywithout

becomingastereotype.Askedwhyheworked

asa

Handlanger,orbrickcarrier,hereplied."There

alwayshastobesomeonewhocarriesstones.

"

In

a

friezelike

tableaureminiscentofclassia

sculpture,astreetrepaircrewisrecordedinstati

positionsthatdefymovementandtime.Thecentn

figure'sshovelis

poisedat

its

highestpoint,

th

patrolmanhasassumedacharacteristicstance,an

themanatfarrightsignalshissupervisorystatusa

hestandscasuallyscratchinghisarm.

Thus

held

i

time,the

workersbecomeanenduringsymbolc

theiroccupation—asignificanceheightenedbyth

factthattheirfacesareeitherfullyorpartial!

obscured,cloakingtheminanonymit)

AUGUSTSANDER
Laborer, 1927