The wonders of photography

Stockholm, 1970 photo by Jan Bernhardtz

I have watched this picture over and over again and can't get it out of my mind. Taken by Jan when he was in his early twenties. At the time he was attending the legendary Fotoskolan headed by Christer Strömholm. I have no idea of Jan's influences but the picture makes me think of Atget. There is a strange photographic quality about the photo, the supposed main subjects; the dog and the woman are out of focus. Watching the person's hands, legs and clothes indicates strongly that it is a woman. But have a look at the face, the missing hair. Or is she wearing a bandage or a scarf?

Well, I do not really want to know. Jan was kind to send me several images from this time. He says that the negatives have been left untouched for all of this time. In a wave of creativity he scanned them and processed them. The result is stunning. Well I should not be surprised. Jan Bernhardtz is in my opinion one of the most important photographers in Sweden. Please enjoy some more pictures from the series and find out more on www.janber.net
Mr Urbano










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