Introduction to the History of Photography

actress, 1930   Large body curves , about 1922-28 untitled, 1930   Railrod tracks at night, about 1930 Gelatin silver print Homagem to Max Ernst, 1937, collage Total Panic II, 1937, collage Franz Roh’s involvement with art extended from history, theory and criticism to production, which took the form of both “reality-photos” that captured the expressive and symbolic potential of fragments excerpted from the real world and experimental techniques—including negative printing, photomontage and collage—that enhance our capacity to experience the world visually. Although his career as a critic grew out of his ability to describe the characteristics of art movements in terms of the juxtaposition of opposites, the works of art he created demonstrate his ability to explore a multiplicity of approaches. The critic who proclaimed the waning of Expressionism and the rise of Magic Realism in post-war painting was also the artist who delighted equally in ...