Jan Saudek

Art Brokerage: Jan Saudek Czech Artist: b. 1935..Born on May 13, 1935 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Saudek survived captivity in a Nazi concentration camp as a child, and artistic outlets became a means to cope with haunting childhood memories. He went on to pursue his interest in photography after seeing Edward Steichen's book The Family of Man, and, despite the restrictions imposed by the Communist regime he lived under, he became an internationally renowned artist. His best-known work is notable for its hand-tinted portrayal of painterly dream worlds, often inhabited by nude or semi-nude figures surrounded by bare plaster walls or painted backdrops. He frequently re-uses elements (for instance, a clouded sky or a view of Prague's Charles Bridge). In this his photographs suggest the studio and tableaux works of mid-19th century erotic photographers, as well as the works of the 20th-century painter Balthus, and of Bernard Faucon. Saudek's early art photography is noted for its evocation of childhood. His later works often portrayed the evolution from child to adult (re-photographing the same composition/pose, and with the same subjects, over many years). Religious motifs and the ambiguity between man and woman have also been some of Saudek's recurring themes. During the 1990s, his work at times generated censorship attempts in the West because of its provocative sexual content. Listings wanted