Ernö Weisz, 23-Year-Old Factory Worker, Budapest before 1955

Kata Kálmán made this photograph of Ernö Weisz, a factory worker in Budapest, sometime in the mid-20th century, using I assume a pretty standard camera for the time. What strikes me is the way the light falls across Ernö’s face. It’s a play of sharp contrasts and subtle gradations. You can see the grit and texture of his skin. It feels like Kálmán wasn’t trying to prettify him, but rather to capture something real and raw. I see a kind of vulnerability in his eyes, alongside a sense of resilience. There’s a smudge on his cheekbone and a sadness in the corner of his eyes, but the artist is not trying to tell us how to feel about this man, but lets us see his humanity. It’s interesting to think of other artists who did similar work, like August Sander, also capturing the working classes. It’s an ongoing conversation, seeing each other, understanding the world, bit by bit.