The Pigment prints 1947-1954.

Published on the occasion of the travelling exhibition of the same name that was held in Europe and the United States from 1994 through 1996. Presents Josef Sudek's "Pigment Prints 1947-1954". A seminal aspect of the Czech photographer's oeuvre, which is now universally recognized as among the greatest photography ever achieved in the 20th century. Josef Sudek remained in his native Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) throughout his long and stupendous career, spiriting out prints of his work, many of them just single copies, to friends like Anna Farova, so that his work will be in caring hands and not be forgotten. A reclusive man who shunned publicity, lived modestly, and remained loyal to his beloved country through thick and thin, Sudek's inner life (that is, inner peace and reconciliation) was clearly the inexhaustible source of his work. When they first see a Josef Sudek photograph, many receptive people are moved to tears. Whether he did landscapes, street photographs, portraits, nudes, still life, or inspired combinations thereof, Sudek left his indelible mark on the medium. The Pigment Print process, which dates back to the earliest days of photography, is based on a complex (and tedious) technique. One of the enduring legacies of 19th-century photography, it is also called the Carbro Process, which Anna Farova explains in layman's language in an Appendix. In the hands of a Master like Sudek, the resulting images are visible on every page of this book.