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@ punctum
2023-07-29 19:50:18August Sander (1876-1964), a prominent figure in documentary photography, played a pivotal role in challenging and resisting Nazi ideology through his work during the difficult years preceding and following Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany.
Sander's most famous project, "People of the 20th Century," stands as a testament to this silent resistance. This monumental body of work, portraying a broad cross-section of German society, presented a bold challenge to the Nazi notion of a "superior race".
Sander's strategy was to humanize all the people he photographed, regardless of their social status or race. His approach was neither to glorify nor denigrate, but simply to portray people as they were, a vision that was in stark contrast with the Nazis' racial ideology.
Furthermore, Sander sought to dismantle the Nazis' rigid racial and social categories. In "People of the 20th Century," the range of subjects is impressively broad: aristocrats, peasants, artists, manual workers, women, men, Jews, non-Jews. By juxtaposing these different categories, Sander underscored the diversity and complexity of German society, thus challenging the Nazi notion of a "pure race".
Despite the resistance he faced, Sander's courage never wavered. His photographs were confiscated and destroyed by the Nazis, and his book "Face of Our Time" was banned in 1936. Yet, Sander persisted, and while he was forced to switch his focus to landscape photography to avoid further confrontations, he continued to document his time's Germany until his death in 1964.
Sander's resistance to Nazi ideology was not frontal or violent, but subversive and silent. His camera became his weapon, and his photographs, his resistance. By capturing his subjects' humanity, he demonstrated that diversity, far from being a threat, is a source of richness and vitality in a society.
August Sander's work remains a powerful tool for understanding the social and political context of Germany in the first half of the 20th century. At the same time, his work continues to be a reminder of the importance of preserving and respecting human dignity, regardless of race, religion, or social status. In this sense, Sander's photography not only documents the reality of his era but also offers a powerful critique of Nazi ideology and a more inclusive and humanitarian vision of society.