Edmund Kesting, Frau G. Kesting, 1930.
Gelatin silver print. Fransisco Museum of Modern Art

Edmund Kesting was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1892. The son of the local police secretary, Kesting attended the Kunstgewerbeschule at the Akademie der bildenden Kunste. Kesting became a professor and eventually founded the art school called "Der Weg," or, "The Way."He was known for his pioneering work in experimental photography, especially his work using a process that produced works known as "Chemigrams"--a kind of painting using photo sensitive paper, developer, and fixer.

This particular photo was taken in 1930, and is well known for a different kind of experimentation; namely, the overlapping of geometric and organic forms, the unusual reflections, and many angles within the frame, all that distort space and create an image of restlessness. The subject's face, moreover, is anxious, and the environment that she sits within only further reflects this. It is innovative in that it uses layered shapes and reflections to reflect a particular emotion.

The subject sits against the very right of the frame, and the car frame creates strong diagonals across the image, effectively dividing up the frame into different planes. The reflection in the window is both distorted itself and obscures part of the frame. Dark lines alternate with bright areas, and the clarity, caused by a small aperture, draws the viewers eye through the maze of diagonals, through the car and out to the house far in back. In the midst of all of these strong diagonals and verticals, there is the implied line created by the gaze of the subject, cutting horizontally across the image.

Like already stated, this image depicts restlessness and anxiety. The woman's expression is tense, and inquiring. The various windows and parts of the car create an abstracted space, blurring some areas, reflecting and distorting light in such a way that geometric shapes are superimposed over the more organic shapes of the person and wheel. There is a sense of unease as our eye seeks a way through the gauntlet of frames to the stark house in the distance.

To make this photo, Kesting got close to his subject, and, using natural lighting, simply took the photo when the reflections and light were most advantageous. In the dark room, he could have perhaps controlled the exposure of the photo in order to create the shapes of light that are so prominent.....

....And like already said, this photo was taken most likely in an attempt to experiment with reflections and light. However, the subject is of Kesting's wife, and so there could be a sentimental reason for the staging of this photo. Kesting does not explicitly state his intention, but the photo does seem quite personal, given the proximity to the subject, and the subject's clear face despite the abstracted surroundings.

What I like most about this photo is the reflections on the car window, and the shapes they create on top of other shapes. The gaze of the subject and the angle of the photo are interesting too. Unfortunately, cars these days don't contain as many straight angles, so the many small frames created by the car are less likely to occur if this photo was taken in a modern setting. The juxtaposition of the geometric and organic shapes is nice though.

In my image, I tried to keep certain compositional elements similar--the angle the photo was taken at, the subject sitting in a car, looking out from the window, etc. The reflection in the car window was also an important element I tried to include. A reflection of myself, incidentally, made it into the photo as well. The subject is framed by the car and window, but, since modern cars are much more curved then cars from the 30's, I had to compensate for the lack of vertical distortion by lowering the window, and making the distortion of light more horizontal. This, of course, changes the mood of the photo considerably, since the horizontal rather than vertical lines dividing the image create a more balanced, calm picture, and indeed, the subject's face seems more contemplative than anxious. So while perspective, emphasis, contrast, and lighting were kept as close to the original as possible, the reinvention of the photo lies within the concept. I've taken a photo embodying the anxiety and restlessness of a woman driver, and created instead an image of calm and confidence, despite the imposition of the outside world seeking to fragment the subject. She gazes serenely above the distortion and chaos, found in several planes, that surround her.