Leopold GLASZNER Cyprus / 1877 † 1965 Leopold Glaszner was born in Hungary but his early childhood was spent in Germany. He was a self-taught musician, who set himself up as a music teacher in Athens and later there as a conductor of a philharmonic orchestra. In 1900 he came to Cyprus to visit his parents. In 1904 he was invited by the Larnaca Municipality to create a philharmonic orchestra, which he subsequently directed for a number of years. At the same time he opened his own photographic studio. Leopold inaugurated a whole new fashion style in portrait photography. Photography at the Glaszner studio was a theatrical rendering of reality… The focal point of his art was his studio, which was equipped with all the necessary furniture and sets to offer style and theatricality to otherwise mundane personal or family pictures. Portraits became unique paintings. Thus depending on the circumstances, the photograph could be dramatic or romantic, adorned with elaborate sets and props, which served to enhance the atmosphere of the picture. Corinthian-style pillars, a wooden balustrade, colourful pedestals, crucifixes and cherubim, boats, armchairs and multicoloured cushions are some of the depicted accoutrements of the Glaszner studio. He would also note the colours of the costumes worn by his clients so that he would later paint them in by hand, as was the custom of the time. The classic composition was that of the patriarchal family: the father seated on a chair, mother standing and the children sitting on the floor. Or the stylish photograph of the bride to be, posing demurely in front of a full-length mirror decorated with real flowers, slightly to the side, in order to reveal the rich train of her bridal gown as well as her blissful reflection in the looking glass. Children were posed within “natural” environments, with hills and streams as backdrops. Sometimes they were seated in boats or on bicycles or amidst blossoming trees in a countryside setting. This was obviously Leopold’s favourite type of photography since his main model for many of his photographs was his daughter Irma, who was a willing subject in his innovative photographic experiments. With these photos he also made his first attempts at commercial photography and with Irma’s natural theatrical talent, her photographs became very popular.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 17:02:30 +0000
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