Jeno Kertész as Satyr
1919
Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to image): 5.5 x 4 cm (2 3/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation
Accession Number
1999.122.7
Art Historical Context
In 1919, Hungarian photographer André Kertész captured whimsical moment in *Jeno Kertész as Satyr*, a tiny gelatin silver print measuring just 5.5 x 4 cm. Created during Kertész's early years in Budapest shortly after World War I, the image depicts his brother Jenő playfully costumed as a satyr mischievous figure from Greek mythology with goat-like features. This intimate snapshot reflects the artist's emerging talent for transforming everyday scenes into poetic compositions, blending personal affection with classical whimsy amid Europe's post-war recovery. Printed as a gelatin silver print, ...
About the Artist
André Kertész
André Kertész, born Andor Kertész on July 2, 1894, in Budapest, Hungary, to a middle-class Jewish family, initially pursued a conventional path as a clerk at the Budapest Stock Exchange after graduating from the Academy of Commerce in 1912. Self-taught in photography after purchasing his first camera that year, he captured his early poetic visions of Hungarian landscapes and peasant life, includin...