André Kertész
Martinique, 1972
Silver gelatin print mounted to board
image 7.5 x 9.625 inches
Mount 14 x 18 inches
image 7.5 x 9.625 inches
Mount 14 x 18 inches
Printed by Igor Bakht in early 1970's from original negative
Jan 1 1972, made during a vacation in the winter with Elizabeth. This photo was taken on New Years Day shows the silhouette of a man, seen through a frosted...
Jan 1 1972, made during a vacation in the winter with Elizabeth. This photo was taken on New Years Day shows the silhouette of a man, seen through a frosted glass partition, leaning on a railing and gazing out to the dark and seeming impenetrable ocean. Composed of large rectilinear shapes-the glass partition, the horizon, and the railing - ruble gradations of tone, this forlorn image communicates a sense of isolation and aloneness. Throughout his career, Kertesz had often recorded isolated individuals, usually men, in the urban landscape: for example, he had depicted a line street sweeper in Eszterom. Whereas he had allowed the poetry of place and the formal strength of his compositions to infuse such early photographs with a visual lyricism, in Martinique, the harsh, tight geometry further increased the despondent nature of the subject.
Kertesz was so skillful at transforming the man into a symbol for himself that many viewers assume that Martinique is a literal self portrait. Indeed, like that solitary figure in Martinique, Kertesz brooded about his future: although he had been to achieve considerable success, he was no longer youthful and he and Elizabeth were increasingly beset with health problems.
Kertesz was so skillful at transforming the man into a symbol for himself that many viewers assume that Martinique is a literal self portrait. Indeed, like that solitary figure in Martinique, Kertesz brooded about his future: although he had been to achieve considerable success, he was no longer youthful and he and Elizabeth were increasingly beset with health problems.