Untitled (Jug in Perspective, Peterhans photo class, Bauhaus Dessau), 1932

About the Work

Herbert Schürmann’s aim was to make the specific materiality and various surface structures of the objects stand out in his photographs. To that end, he employed dark–light and smooth–rough contrasts which he developed to a high degree of precision. For example, he arranged smooth, white snowberries on a dark, coarsely woven fabric. In another scene he presented an earthenware jug lying on its side in such a way that its shiny-smooth glaze contrasts with the matt, unglazed surface of its base. He took both of these shots at the Bauhaus in the framework of the photography course that had only been established there in 1929 with Walter Peterhans as its teacher. Few photos have come down to us from that training context.