Aart Klein

Aart Klein

Aart Klein was a Dutch photographer born August 1909 in Amsterdam died October 31st, 2001. His style mostly consisted of black and white landscapes or portraiture. His style of photography was considered to be a graphic style combined with photography. He was documented saying that his photographers were a white on black, not black on white because “if you don’t do anything you get a back image. Things only happen when you open the shutter; then you make a drawing in white,” (Warren, 871).

Early Life and Education

Klein began working at the Netherlands premier photo press agency, Polygoon in the 1930’s. He started out without having any formal training in photography, but during his time at Polygoon he began his career as one of the most influential Dutch photographers. In 1931 he started as an administrative assistant and continued to work there for nine years. During the war, World War II, he held a multitude of jobs, ranging from press photographer to wedding photographer. He was forced to work for the Nazi’s during the 40’s which led to Klein taking underground pictures and sending them to Allied forces in England. He joined a group of photographers called the Particam, or Partisan Cameras, that helped the country’s liberation.

After the War

After the War ended, Klein and members of the Partisan Cameras photographed the aftermath of the war in Germany in a collection of photos called Zoo leeft Duitschland. Op puinhopen can get Derde Rijk, (How Germany Lives. On the Ruins of the Third Reich). Part of this group went on to create a new photo agency of the same name, Particam, later changing it Particam Pictures. Klein’s technique created a unique and individualistic photo experience. His technique was unique because the photographers avoided the use of flash by heating the developer. This allowed for darkened rooms such as theaters to be photographed inconspicuously. Developing this technique aided in Particam Pictures ability to corner the stage market in theatre, opera, ballet, and circus shows.

The Great Flood of 1953

The worst storm in Netherlands history occurred in 1953, flooding the southern part of the country. 1,835 people were killed, forty seven thousand homes were destroyed and three hundred and six pounds of dikes, embankments, were damaged. Klein, along with other photographers and photojournalist depicted the aftermath of this storm and it’s effect on the country. Although Klein’s work is original, his lack of abstraction may have inhibited from become as famous as other Dutch counterparts.

Career

Simply snapping a shutter did not complete his works, he spent hours in dark rooms creating the contrast or effect that he had in his mind. One of his many talents was the ability to photograph birds as if he positioned them himself. This talent led to one of his assistants saying that he carried birds in his pocket. However, this talent was due to Klein’s ability to wait until the right moment where the outcome matched his vision. He would then spend his time in the dark rooms to create his contrasting colors. His work entitled Zebra, 1957 strongly shows this practice because of the sharp etching across the picture that creates an almost hypnotizing pattern. In 1956 Klein decide to leave Patricam Pictures and venture into his own studio. In this studio he created what are considered his most famous images of the Delta engineering project. The theme of the book seemed to be a continuation of his photography during the flood, which was a struggle going against water. He focused on the infrastructure going against the natural land of the Netherlands. Another aspect that he continued in these works was the use of pattern and patience to create the image he so desired. He depicted the progress of his country in a personal, yet optimistic way. After this photo series ended he worked for the newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad and other photography companies. Toward the end of his life, around the 1980’s, he traveled with aid from grants and the government, but his activity as a photographer began to dwindle. Achievements In 1982 Klein receieved the Capi-Lux Alblas Prize, 1986, an exhibition was mounted in the Netherlands, 1996 Klein received a fund for the VAD and Architecture prize. Klein lived to be 92 years of age, until 2001, however his optimistic spirit and unique ways lived on through his historical, as was as, artistic photographs.