Like his father before him, Zdenko Feyfar
pursued both photographic studies and formal training as a doctor. While his
father continued to divide his time between the two professions, Feyfar devoted
himself exclusively to photography after 1940. He established a studio in

Prague, and in 1949 joined the art
society "Manes" through which he met and photographed Czechoslovakia's
most important artists, writers, and historians.

In May 1945 Feyfar produced this
distinctive portrait of fellow Czech artist Josef Sudek (1896-1976), who had
exerted a powerful influence on the establishment of a Modernist aesthetic in
Czech photography. Sudek lost his right arm to a war injury in 1917, and turned
to photography when he was no longer able to practice his profession as a
bookbinder. To facilitate transportation of the camera, Sudek attached a harnesslike
strap to his body. In Feyfar's portrait of Sudek, the strap acquires an
ambiguous role, seemingly more a restraint than an instrument. In combination
with Sudek's disheveled appearance and squinting grimace, Feyfar's photograph presents
a provocative, psychologically penetrating portrayal of the artist.