ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ (1894-1985) Distortion #172 * Distortion #102. Together, 2 photographs. Ferrotyped silver prints, the images measuring 8 7/8x6 3/4 inches (22.5x17.1 cm.), the sheets slightly larger, with the titles, in pencil, in an unknown hand, on verso. 1933
Produced during the period Kertész worked in Paris, his Surrealist-inspired explorations of the female form, which he termed "Distortions," originated when he purchased an antique mirror from the Marché aux Puces (flea market). He then selected two models, the first a dance-hall performer with a full figure and the second, a younger woman with a thin, modern appearance. As the idea of using a mirror took shape, Kertész recognized how representing a distorted female figure introduced a new visual vocabulary. The overall effect varied considerably, in some instances areas of the body were grossly enlarged while in others they are rendered realistically. It is this incongruity in the picture frame that makes Kertész's Distortions so compelling.
