Jaromír Funke Czechoslovakian, b. Austria-Hungary, 1896-1945
Jaromír Funke, one of Czechoslovakia's most important modernist photographers during the 1920s-40s, was born in Skute . Although many of his early images were influenced by the soft-focus pictorial style, from 1918-21 he produced a group of documentary views of the suburbs of Kolín. Following studies in medicine and law, in 1922 Funke decided to become a freelance photographer. Two years later he joined Josef Sudek and Adolf Schneeberger to found the Czech Photographic Society ( fs).
By the early 1920s Funke's work reflected a growing interest in modernist ideas, and he began to make clearly focused studies of simple objects. As the decade progressed, he turned to the production of carefully arranged still lifes emphasizing abstract form and the play of light and shadow. During this time he also produced several important series of photographs, including two inspired by the images of Eugène Atget: Reflexy (Reflections, 1929) and as trvá (Time Persists, 1930-34).
Funke was also influential as a teacher, first at the School of Arts and Crafts, Bratislava (1931-34/35), which followed a Bauhaus-inspired curriculum, and then at the State School of Graphic Arts, Prague (1935-44). While in Bratislava, he became interested in social documentary photography and joined the leftist group Sociofoto, which was concerned with recording the living conditions of the poor. Throughout his career Funke published articles and critical reviews dealing with photography. From 1939-41 he worked with Josef Ehm to edit the magazine Fotografický obzor (Photographic Horizon). M.M.
