In Jan Saudek’s life, a miracle happened many times. He was born in 1935 in Prague. But he didn’t have a “happy childhood” to live through: World War II began. At the end of it, the first miracle happened: little Jan and his twin brother Karl, now a famous graphic artist, escaped the experiments of the Nazi camp doctor and survived. Parents and other family members perished in Theresienstadt concentration camp. The second miracle: it was not caught by the Czech state security during the times of “state restrictions”, although Jan’s archive was seized several times..
We thank Gallery of Classical Photography for the photos.
Life
– Before our Velvet Revolution, I was often interrogated by the Czech State Security Service. They were looking for my pictures, curious about them, wanting to know what they meant by the. Many of them have already been published in the West. And I claimed that these pictures were taken by my grandfather in the last century. They really looked like that, except for the one of me standing with a machine gun in my hands. Finally, the state security left me alone. But since then I’ve been tagging my photos with the nineteenth century.
Third miracle: he became a world-famous photographer.
– Jan, when did you become famous?? How it happened? – I ask Saudek.
– A miracle happened. It’s a miracle, he answers.
I think the list of wonderful events in Jan Saudek’s life is much longer. This includes his success in the United States in 1970, the opening of a permanent exhibition of his work in Prague in 2007, his first exhibition in America in 2013, and the fact that he was able to attend it himself.
Jan Saudek’s visit to New York was awaited. The opening of his exhibition “Life, Love, Death, and Other Trifles” in the Gallery of Classical Photography was a bright event of this spring and gathered a huge crowd of fans. They wanted to see a living classicist and works from all periods of his career, from his early days to his worldwide acclaim and artistic reinterpretation.
Postcards and posters of his work sold out quickly. Energetic, temperamental, Jan Saudek was indeed subtly similar to his idol, rock musician Mick Jagger: short haircut, black glasses, red shirt, high heels. The same independence in the whole figure, the same looseness and sense of dignity. He moved about the hall, joking, signing autographs and willingly answering questions.
– Have you ever shot a American woman??
– No. But I’ll tell you the truth: American women are very beautiful. Very, very! A photo of a American woman working at a Shell gas station in Prague was mistakenly included. It’s hanging here somewhere. – Saudek points to an exhibition hall filled with one hundred and twenty of his works that constitute a retrospective of his provocative, fascinating and shocking oeuvre:
– She got here by chance. It’s very beautiful!
In fact, everything is on the border: the beautiful and the ugly, the erotic and the vulgar, the tasty and the tasteless. I wonder how the artist manages to walk such a fine line. Among the works on display in the gallery is my favorite, a photograph called “The Kick.”. There’s a Saudek-like man kicking a fat, screaming woman.
The queen of teenagers
A great metaphor, perhaps the key to understanding his work! It’s as if the artist is demonstrating his independence from public opinion and gives a good kick to public taste and generally accepted morals. Extremely relevant! Even today the work of the photographer arouses diametrically opposite opinions: from love, adoration, reverence, admiration to complete incomprehension and rejection.
– For the artist there can be no limits, and the boundaries are erased. But there’s an autocenitor in me: I make sure not to overstep the limits, – says Jan about his works.
Jan Saudek third time in America. The first time he came to the Soviet Union was under Gorbachev. It was 1985. Then under Yeltsin in 1993. And now under Putin.
– Feel the difference?
– A Huge! In ’85, they used to paste up the windows with newspapers for warmth. People were afraid to talk to a foreigner, it was obvious. Things are different now.
– Your Creative Credo? What would you recommend to young photographers?
– Never give up!
At the opening, a representative from the Czech embassy welcomed all who came to the opening of Jan Saudek’s exhibition:
– We are pleased that Saudek’s name is known and loved in America and that his work, which is undoubtedly the hallmark of Czech photography. This is Jan Saudek’s first exhibition in New York. We hope that here, where there are so many beautiful women, renowned artist Jan Saudek will find new inspiration for his art.
Pavla Hodkova and Jan Saudek
Jan Saudek made a joke:
– I bet no one would come to the opening of the exhibition. And I lost. I also thought I knew by heart how to open exhibitions and what to say, but here I’m a little confused, and I wish you: “Bon appetit”!
Then he took a black marker and left his autograph on the white wall of the gallery.
– Victory! – the word swept through the room and was drowned in applause.
Andrei Bezukladnikov, photographer and producer:
– I first saw Jan Saudek’s black and white photos in Fotoreview in the early 1980s. I still remember the impression they made: a feeling of simple uncomplicated freedom. Then Jan started coloring them, and I thought he was finished as a photographer because he started working for “the demand,” that photography had become an auxiliary material.
But I also love his coloring books because they still retain a free spirit, a lot of ironic optimism and lightness. Very simple images. But sometimes it looks like an anecdote, and what I want from a photograph is a parable and a philosophical reflection on life.
I don’t like the joke. It’s clear that a trend has been caught and put into action. Jan Saudek’s little candle factory. I can see why there are more colorful than black and white photos at the gallery exhibition: people buy more of what they understand.
Vladimir Vyatkin, photojournalist:
– It’s not mine. Complete rejection. The anti-aesthetics of the female body. I look at these women and I don’t want to look at real women anymore. The primitive communal system. The female body as an object of primordiality and savagery. Civilization hasn’t reached these people. Anti-aesthetics!
Igor Vereshchagin, independent photographer:
– I’ve known his work for a long time. From Soviet times and the terribly scarce Czech magazine Fotorevue. When I saw Saudek’s photographs in it, they blew me away for a long time. I love Saudek’s black and white photographs. His first works. I’ve been to Prague twice, to the gallery where his work hangs – it’s bigger there and makes a strong impression. There are some here too, but not many, more art-kitsch. But Jan is a witty man, and I think he takes everything with humor and does not treat his work with animal seriousness.
Alexei Ushakov, a freelance photographer:
– He’s just not a prude. As he is on the inside, that’s how he shows himself. With all their vices and preferences. Talking about it unashamedly.
Veronica posing for Mr. Shipek’s glassware
Mikhail Kryukov, Freelance Photographer:
– The thing that attracts me to Saudek’s photographs is his love of life. There’s a lot of life in them. And lots of love. This is not pornography. Absolutely not! Let those who think this is pornography, formulate their thoughts more clearly. I’ll come to the exhibition more than once and look at everything carefully. I see Jan Saudek alive for the first time, I signed his poster with a woman holding a skull, I’m happy. I like how it captures women. He does it in an unusual way.
– And it seems to me that he treats them like sexual slaves..
– But you are a woman. I am a man. I understand Saudek’s point of view.
– He denies women any intelligence at all..
– You are exaggerating. It’s not in his pictures. I’m glad I saw him alive. It helped me feel him better and understand him. He’s very open, joyful, easy-going, charismatic. He’s 78 years old, and he loves life, chicks and everything that goes with it. I wish at this age I still had the same mobility, openness and optimism!
– He looks so much like Mick Jagger!
– No wonder: he’s from around the same time and seems to be a fan..
From an audience conversation at the opening of Jan Saudek’s exhibition in New York on March 27, 2014.
Could you please explain what other trivia the photographer, Jan Saudek, explores in his work?
In his work, Jan Saudek explores various themes and trivia beyond photography techniques. He often delves into human emotions, desires, and relationships, capturing the complexities of human experience. Saudek’s photographs often highlight the beauty and vulnerability of the human body, challenging societal norms and embracing the diversity of human forms. He also incorporates elements of surrealism, symbolism, and fantasy, creating dreamlike and poetic compositions. Saudek’s exploration of sexuality, eroticism, and the human psyche is a recurring motif in his work, provoking contemplation and introspection. His photographs often evoke nostalgia, capturing moments of intimacy, melancholy, and joy that resonate with viewers on a profound level. Overall, Jan Saudek’s work is a compelling blend of artistry, storytelling, and thematic exploration.
What is the most intriguing aspect of Jan Saudek’s photography and how does it explore the themes of life, love, death, and other trivia?
The most intriguing aspect of Jan Saudek’s photography lies in its ability to capture raw and provocative emotions. His work delves deep into the themes of life, love, death, and other trivialities by engaging viewers in a visual narrative that combines beauty and darkness. Saudek’s photographs often feature unconventional and imperfect bodies, evoking a sense of vulnerability and crossing societal norms of beauty. They portray an array of human experiences, from the ecstasy of love to the struggles of existence, inviting introspection on the transience and fragility of life. Through a blend of surreal elements and introspective compositions, Saudek’s photography provokes thought and challenges societal constructs, serving as a mirror to the human condition and inviting viewers to ponder their own mortality and place in the world.