Photographic portrait of Otokar Březina

Of the four faces inclined in the same direction, only that of Karásek stands out. However, even his photograph is similarly embellished: except for Neumann, everyone is lost in a kind of haze at the bottom of the image. To the extent that this mundane decorative element is clumsily reminiscent of aura, it inadvertently frames the symbolist aesthetic of suggestion and ambiguity in irony. However, the symbolists depicted confront the conventions of photographic studios with unusually elegant attire. This attracts at least as much attention as the faces, which have lost their haughty self-confidence during the long exposure.

Subject: Others
Title: Photographic portrait of Otokar Březina
Date: 1899
Origin: Museum of Czech Literature photo archive
Licence: Free license

Other exhibits from the chapter

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