Ingar Krauss is the photographer of “39 Bilder” (“39 Pictures”), published by Hartmann Books in 96 pages with 39 illustrations and measuring 22.6 × 28.6 cm. The book contains text in German and English. Its essay is by Ulf Erdmann Ziegler, while the photographs are by Krauss; the design was created by the Berlin studio arc – Bartsch/Grimberg, and Suzy Shammah is credited in the publisher’s specifications as publisher alongside Hartmann Books. The title followed a number of catalogues and is described by the publisher as the second monograph on Krauss.
The project presents thirty-nine still lifes whose contents come from the rural surroundings of Krauss’s studio in Oderbruch. Vegetables, fruit, grain, flowers, and animals were photographed in analogue technique under natural light inside self-constructed, stage-like boxes. The negatives were developed in Krauss’s own darkroom, then enlarged by hand and glazed with oil paint. According to the publisher, the pictures appear surreal, sometimes gloomy, and timeless; they follow no trend and cannot be attributed to any school. The publisher notes that the new pictures are more akin to portraits than still lifes.
Ziegler’s essay, titled “He Who Lives Still Lifes Lives Inside,” appears in both German and English. The publisher describes it as more than the usual accompanying text: it reenacts the act of looking at the photographs and stands as an independent literary commentary on the visual tasks, history, and contents of the still life. According to the publisher, Hartmann Books worked closely with Krauss and Suzy Shammah on the book’s design.
