"Sven MARTSON spent September of 1974 photographing in East and West Berlin. In what was undoubtedly a stifling context, he captured those timeless occupations and preoccupations common to us all – labor, joy and loneliness, vanity and pride, lust and love. He served up a faithful visual journal of an inhibited culture.
Walker EVANS’ 'American Photographs' and Robert FRANK’s 'The Americans' provide the DNA for many photo books including this one by Sven MARTSON. It is useful to view MaARTSON’s work in the context of earlier and like minded books.
MARTSON’s photographs capture historical facts and are, at the same time, personal and lyrical renderings of a culture. They are full with the play of ambiguities – ambiguities of space, ambiguities of relationships, and ambiguities of signs. By digesting the works of his mentors Martson has created his own distinctive style." (publisher's note, © Lecturis, 2018)
About the photographer, Sven MARTSON (b. in Germany);
Sven MARTSON was born in Germany and raised in the United States.
Soon after completing his university education, subsequent studies led to an interest in documentary style photography.
In 1972 he met Walker EVANS and worked under his direction, making prints from EVANS’ negatives. After EVANS’ death, MARTSON continued to print for the EVANS estate.
An established editorial photographer, he serves a wide range of independent educational institutions throughout the United States. Over the past thirty years he has traveled extensively, producing an impressive body of personal work. He has exhibited in the United States and Europe. His work appears in a wide variety of publications.
Walker EVANS’ 'American Photographs' and Robert FRANK’s 'The Americans' provide the DNA for many photo books including this one by Sven MARTSON. It is useful to view MaARTSON’s work in the context of earlier and like minded books.
MARTSON’s photographs capture historical facts and are, at the same time, personal and lyrical renderings of a culture. They are full with the play of ambiguities – ambiguities of space, ambiguities of relationships, and ambiguities of signs. By digesting the works of his mentors Martson has created his own distinctive style." (publisher's note, © Lecturis, 2018)
About the photographer, Sven MARTSON (b. in Germany);
Sven MARTSON was born in Germany and raised in the United States.
Soon after completing his university education, subsequent studies led to an interest in documentary style photography.
In 1972 he met Walker EVANS and worked under his direction, making prints from EVANS’ negatives. After EVANS’ death, MARTSON continued to print for the EVANS estate.
An established editorial photographer, he serves a wide range of independent educational institutions throughout the United States. Over the past thirty years he has traveled extensively, producing an impressive body of personal work. He has exhibited in the United States and Europe. His work appears in a wide variety of publications.
- Book design
- Richard REISEN
- Format
- HC 19,5 x 22 cm., 122 pp., b/w ills., bilingual text: English / German