Renger-Patzch was a German photographer in the 1920s, fascinated by the formal qualities of everyday objects both organic and man-made. His unpredictable, detached images formed the photographic side of the 'New Objectivity' movement.
He experimented with photography as a teenager and also studied chemistry. In his photographs he recorded the exact, detailed appearance of objects which reflected his early pursuit in science. Another key aspect of Renger-Patzsch's life which could have influenced his style of photography is, he served in World War 1. Serving in the war would have obliterated his faith in romantisicm and human kindness overall. This would have initiated him, and many other photographers around at the same time, to look at things in a new way hence, 'New Objectivity'. There was most definitely a break in tradition after the war. With millions of people experiencing loss in some way there was definitely room for a new and innovative style. People needed things to look beautiful again, even the most ordinary and mundane of objects. Albert Renger-Patzsch used this feeling of pain and loss to make detached and objective images to express these feelings. He made these images into a series and put them in his book, "The World Is Beautiful". His book had considerable influence on European photography at the time. It consisted of images from both nature and industry up close and personal. With this new way of seeing, other ideas naturally sprung from it like constructivism. This was the idea of giving the mundane world a new appearance. Similar ideas influenced Japanese photographers, especially following the 1923 earthquake. All these ideas inspired emphasis on form rather than atmosphere.
My response to Albert Renger-Patzsch's work
I personally found the task of responding to Renger-Patzsch's work an easy one as his image style relates to how I like to already take my own photographs. I would describe his work as having elements of symmetry and order but with a chaotic repetition of lineage and form. His pictures themselves are not abstract in the sense that you can still tell what they are depicting, however I would say that he has an abstract way of looking at the ordinary. His work focuses on composition, lines, form, shadow and contrast.
I tried to convey this way of 'looking' in my response of 60 pictures:
I love this challenge of responding to Albert Renger-Patzsch's work because he takes up-close and personal compositions of objects/subjects which include repeating patterns. I am drawn to images of the same nature.