Otto Steinert

Vintage silver print, mounted to original card and purposely mounted at an angle. Signed and dated 48 in pencil on the mount. With the estate stamp, titled, dated and signed by Stefan Steinert in pencil on the reverse.

Artist Estate
Galerie Johannes Faber, Vienna

This silver print is in excellent condition. A part of the mount is lifting away.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Trained as a medical doctor, Steinert’s lack of training in art and photography can be translated through his works with his lack of following photographic convention.  Instead, it was his experimental techniques as a form of personal expression that makes his oeuvre so sought-after. This piece, Schienenstrang  (Rail track) is an exquisite example of the artist’s roots in being the founder of the subjective photographers movement. At a time when avant-garde artistic inspiration was destroyed by World War II, Steinert was one of the few that brought back complexity and expression to the medium.   His works outlined how inspiration can come from inner perspective. Perspective is what makes this work so astonishingly fascinating; the angular rounding of the rail tracks has been purposely achieved through mounting the photograph at an angle. It highlights Steinert’s ability to show subjects in a new meaning through printing technique and equipment.