Jan Svoboda: Against the Light

While Jan Svoboda (1934-1990) never achieved the fame of his compatriot, Josef Sudek, he was a remarkable artist who continuously pushed the limits of his medium, and has come to be considered a pioneer of the photography of his time. Svoboda sought to redefine the language and perception of photography by deconstructing forms and playing with both subject matter and presentation. He placed photography in relation to painting and sculpture, and considered the medium within the traditions of Symbolism, Romanticism and Modernism. 

After training to be a stage designer, Svoboda began to experiment with photography in the late 1950s. Inspired by the work of Josef Sudek, Svoboda set out to capture his observations of Prague, as exemplified by his series ‘View of the Gasworks’ (1957-58). His early work also encompasses metaphysically charged still lifes that were distinguished by a poetic dimension: instead of serving as a visual presentation of objects, they conveyed the photographer’s innermost perception of the depicted scene.

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