A pioneer of photography’s avant-garde, the photobook,
and modern photojournalism, Germaine Krull traveled extensively during her
lifetime. In 1926 she moved to Paris and began working for VU, an illustrated magazine much like Life in
the United States. Working with other modernist photographers like André
Kertész and Man Ray, Krull created intimate, close-up portraits like the one
seen here, which drastically differed from standard portraiture of the time.
Shot at close range and dramatically lit, Krull’s sitter looks directly at the
camera, his gaze intensified by his fidgeting hand and the deep shadow that
obscures much of his face.