Introduction to JosefKoudelka

Among many photographers in the 20th century, Kodeka has always been a mysterious figure. He never communicates with others, never explains his photos, and never talks about his views on photography. But the emotion aroused by his unique "Kedeka visual rhythm" has made countless people worship.

Chinese name: Koudeka

Joseph Kaudelka

Nationality: Czech Republic

Place of birth: Moravia, Czech Republic

Occupation: photographer

Representative Works: Gypsies, Prague Series.

Gender: male

Camera monthly

Swiss Camera Monthly is the oldest and most influential photography magazine in the world, which is published regularly in English, French and German. * * * Published for sixty-one years, 1982 was discontinued due to lack of funds. Today, all the famous photographers were introduced by this thin monthly magazine (cover 50 pages) before they went from regional to global. The camera represents the direction of photography for more than half a century, and it is also an important symbol to affirm the status of photographers.

outline

Josef koudelka (1938-), who is 67 years old this year, was introduced to the camera five times (1967.11970.3/1972.2//. With his skill, becoming a master is just around the corner. This photographer who was born in Moravia, Czech Republic, is very special. Since his debut, he refused to take photos, visit, explain his works and express his artistic views. He almost refused to publish anything except photos. So for ordinary people, although they are very familiar with his works, they are very strange to him. Most of his creative background and thoughts were revealed in an interview with AllanPorter, editor-in-chief of CAMERA, many years ago.

He said: "I won't judge his photos by what other photographers say. I judge them by photos and hope that I can be judged by the same standards. " What kind of person is Kodeka? A critic, Dam'eleSallenave, once said: "The loneliness and loneliness of Kodeka reminds people of Rousseau (jean jacques Rousseaux _1712 _ 78), a person who loves human beings but hates people; Full of longing for the golden age that is gone forever-"The Puritans in the distance have prophetic names and prophetic beards. God always appears to the soul of the prophet. " This compliment is a bit excessive, but it can be seen that Kodeka is undoubtedly a new milestone in photography in the eyes of those who appreciate him, just like henri cartier bresson (1908 ~), the most famous master in photography, created a "decisive moment" that was regarded as a classic, and Kodeka's photos were affirmed because they revealed new viewpoints.

From the plane design room to the life of jeep guests, Kaudeka originally studied aviation engineering, which has nothing to do with art. At the age of 23, he devoted himself to aviation as soon as he graduated from Prague Institute of Technology, worked as an aviation engineer for seven years, and used his spare time as a guest photographer in a theater that staged a funny satire once a month. Because he didn't have enough money, he felt that he couldn't build an aircraft engine that could maintain the minimum safety, so he gave up this career and began to turn to photography wholeheartedly. Kodeka's earliest full-time photography job was to shoot stage stills for Jia Blanu Theatre in Prague.

This job has deeply influenced his shooting techniques and work style in the future. He said: "The director of the theater allowed me to take photos freely during rehearsal. I walked around among the actors on the stage, shooting the same scene over and over again in different ways. This incident taught me how to achieve the most perfect and perfect situation in an existing situation. I still continue to work in the same way. " "A large part of my photography revolves around festivals and activities held every year. The process of these events is more or less fixed, so I know exactly what will happen next; I know the actors, I know the story, I know the stage, and when those actors and I are at their peak, we can take a good photo. "

Sometimes, I can achieve this goal at once, but usually for various reasons, I just can't reach the best state of a scene, so I will keep shooting until I succeed. At the same time, my efforts have helped me again and again, ensuring that I will be the most perfect and extreme. "Kodeka's way of shooting life and streets as drama and stage is very special.

When he turned the topic from the theater to the life of gypsies, this kind of investment in filming gypsies almost all his life was even more rare. After visiting the Roma community in Czech Republic, he expanded his shooting scope to the whole European continent, including Roma in Romania, Britain, Ireland, Venice, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and other countries. Since 1970, Kodeka left the Czech Republic for asylum, and he became stateless. Although he lived in England, he spent most of his time wandering around Europe, like the gypsies he photographed. Unique shooting technique and wandering working mode. Kodeka's early works were all shot with the lens of the same monocular camera.

When he was in the Czech Republic, he bought a 25mm wide-angle lens from the widow of the late photographer JitiJenicek, and he used it affectionately. Kodeka 196 1 year, 1967 and 1970 in Prague, 1973 in Britain and 1975 in new york Museum of Modern Art were all shot with this 25mm wide-angle lens. Sixty photos of his sensational Gypsy album (published by APERTUER in America and DELPIRE in France) are no exception. It was not until he felt that his work was a bit repetitive that he began to switch to a binocular camera, but he still preferred a wide-angle lens and never used a telescope with a lens of more than 50 mm It was almost impossible to see Kodeka's recent works, because he always took thousands of rolls of negative films accumulated over the years and developed them in one breath. Because he has never had a fixed home or a fixed darkroom, it often takes five or six years for his latest works to be published.

Kodeka didn't put photos, but put five or six thousand. Not only did he release the works that he thought were satisfactory, but those that failed were more meaningful to him. He said, "accidents and mistakes are equally interesting to me. They can show me whether it is possible to develop further. I urgently need the help of these bad photos. " Kodeka often puts a lot of photos on the wall to study, taking away those photos that can't stand looking for a long time day by day, and finally leaving them on the wall as good works. The first person to get help from Kodeka was Anna Pallova, a famous Czech female art critic. Whenever foreign artists visited Prague, she strongly recommended Kodeka to others, and his reputation began to spread to the West. These famous visitors include Aaron Porter, ArthurMiller, and female photographer Lugs Morath. However, for Kodeka, the most important thing is that he met Bresson by chance and got his appreciation and affirmation. 1970, when Kodeka went to the United States from Britain to receive the robert capa (19 13- 1954) memorial prize, he met President Magellan's photographer Elliot Everett again (1928-) and was invited to join Ma Genan the following year. Since then, Kodeka and the photographers who helped him have been listed among the important photographers in the world today. Kodeka has never accepted any business entrustment or magazine invitation to take photos, and he has full freedom in the group of "Ma Genan". He can take whatever he wants. He said that he only took pictures for himself and thought that "there is no unbreakable law in photography."

Or: "There is only one rule in photography. You should shoot in the way you think you should. " In many photos, the composition of Kodeka is quite complete and the shutter timing is just right. His observation method is shocking at the core of the incident. He said: "The first impression is very important to me. I often take a photo of it where I was standing, and then make any necessary corrections if circumstances permit. " "When taking pictures, I don't always aim at the target with my eyes. If the border of the photo is not very accurate, I will cut it off when I enlarge it. " The particles in Kodeka's photos are very thick, with great contrast and a strong sneak shot, but the composition is quite rigorous, like the result of careful waiting, rather than an impromptu accidental discovery. The combination of these two contradictory effects makes his works have a strong personality-both rough and meticulous, emitting a passionate passion in the cold black and white tones. Kodeka is like a director who doesn't interfere with actors. He just waits coldly for people, things and things to combine into a scene before picking up the shutter. He is interested in the development of drama, not just an actor or a stage.

The man who doesn't want to be bound by the past, Kodeka, was selected into the book Photography of the Twentieth Century. In today's world, he has to say something about his creation. He still repeats the old saying that he said more than ten years ago, but in the text, he added such an interesting sentence: "The discussion I am talking about photography now belongs to the present and the past, and tomorrow may not be true. I don't want to make some laws and regulations for others, and I don't expect myself to be restricted at any stage. My life and work are changing. " What photos is this vagrant who has never set foot in this country since he fled the Czech Republic? He didn't know in which direction he was working until he saw his work published five or six years later. Bresson took a photo of Kaudeka, which showed him walking on the grassland with his head down. The wind blows his "prophet's long hair", but he can't see the front "prophet's beard" and five senses. This photo fully shows Kodeka's maverick personality and his wandering mood in the past 20 years.