Summary
Sander is one of the most important and influential photographers of the twentieth century best known for his lifelong attempt to document the German people. Working Students depicts the artist’s son Erich Sander and his friends Richard Kreutzberg, Hans Schoemann and Georg Hansen, all of whom were political radicals and members of the German Communist party. The men are posed in front of the corner of a room or studio. This neutral background foregrounds the men, looking serious and idealistic in suits which appear a little too large for their young frames.
The history of the men after the photograph was taken reflects the tumultuous period in which they lived: Kreutzberg committed suicide in 1933; Schoemann worked in the underground resistance during the Second World War; and Hansen was imprisoned in London in 1932 for espionage on behalf of the USSR. Erich Sander was arrested in 1934 by the National Socialists and died in prison ten years later… (read more)
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