Jaromír Funke

ISBN: 80-7215-211-4|Published: 2003|Pages: 152
Binding: Softbound|Format: 160 x 180 mm|Graphic design: Pavel Lev, Studio Najbrt

Jaromír Funke (1896–1945) was a pioneer of modern photography. In 1922, he set out on the road to abstraction, ultimately developing a school of his own: “Photogenism.” He responded to the inspiration of Cubism and also made exemplary works in the styles of New Objectivity and Constructivism. In the Twenties, he became one of the first photographers to accept Poetism and Surrealism. With the exception of Jaroslav Rössler, Funke was the only important Czechoslovak photographer to grasp the international context of avant-garde photography, painting, and sculpture. Not only with his photographs but also with his extensive work as a theorist, critic, organizer, editor, and, in particular, as a teacher, he considerably influenced the photography of his day. At art schools in Bratislava and Prague he had a unique opportunity to disseminate his knowledge at a time when this was impossible in the neighbouring countries, particularly Nazi Germany. A pioneer of new photography, Funke was a distinctive representative of new visual art in general, active in virtually all fields where the non-decorative uses of photography could be applied.