Stranica 15 [15]
— which he shot in Poland in 1969, and which, with its bipartite perspective is a rather original
composition - is an excellent example for this. While, on one side of the image, portraits of
the girls of the orphanage can be seen, on the other side, the window pane renders dreams
and desires visible. Gallop, a photo from 1970, became an iconic work of his. He captured a
young man running with two dogs, as one of the animals turns its head and appears to look
right into the eye of the photographer. The dog’s gaze, which in its sharpness stands in strong
contrast with its blurred surroundings, renders the image unforgettable. His abilities to this
effect are also evidenced by his internationally successful black and white series Hands of
the Gardener from 1978. The photo of the series which shows the rough, wrinkled hands of
the old gardener as it tenderly and almost protectively tends to a young plant is an example of
greatness in simplicity. Interestingly, in looking at Eifert’s photos, it becomes apparent: while
his photo reports came into being very much in the gravity of reality, he has stayed away from
a documentarian perspective his entire life - sociophotography was never of interest to him.
With reference to this question, he points out: “The method of documentarist photography,
which relates to its subject in an objective manner without taking a stand, | cannot make my
own. In everything that | capture, there is passion and the love | feel as | direct my attention
to it." This passion is attested to, for instance, by his jazz photos, especially the one entitled
Jazz (Preservation Hall, New Orleans, 2008): it may be a press photo of a jazz event, but it is
such an expressive, in-motion composition verging on the abstract, that it almost appears to
have been taken in an altered states of consciousness.
PORTRAIT, FACE, BODY
Eifert can thus be regarded as (also) a portrait photographer, from the start of his career. As it
usually happens, in his case too, different types of art overlap and fuse with one another. That
is to say, his press photographs can also be considered portrait photos, and vica versa: a good
portrait can also comprise part of the photo report. And portraits have multiple possible forms
as well; the most typical is a face or head portrait (of which he is also a master), but it can also
extend to a representation of the entire body, and can also radiate a kind of genre picture-like
atmosphere. Janos Eifert is at home in the entire spectrum of portrait photography. His iconic
photograph of Marcel Marceau should certainly be mentioned here; it can be categorized as a
dance photo, a snapshot of everyday life, or even a press photo, but, more than anything, it is a
portrait of the most unique kind. It was during the French pantomime artist’s 1968 performance
at the Erkel Theatre that Eifert managed to capture him on camera. This is an especially
significant work, partly because he was already utilizing the montage technique in formulating
24
the final image. During his travels, Janos Eifert took an enormous number of press photos, which
can also be regarded as reports of different cultures, ways of life, and states of civilization. For
instance, his photo entitled Calcutta (1974), a cow is making itself at home on the asphalt, as
part of an everyday urban scene. He has shot portraits of strangers (Worried Pensioner, 2011) as
well as acquaintances (Museum Director Janos Dömötör), in black and white (Balint Imre) and
in colour (Uyghur Girl — China, Urumqi, 2011). He has done head portraits (Man from Calcutta —
India, 1974) and more complex, in-depth representations, where attributes and features closely
linked to the personality also manifest in the captured image (Painter Jozsef Fodor, 2004). The
following statement by the artist characterizes his entire portrait oeuvre: “When we photograph
people, it is imperative that we respect the person whom we wish to capture on camera.
Everyone has a right to decide whether they agree to their picture being taken and publicized.”®
In his portraits, in most cases, he also gives special attention to the environment.
NATURE
At first glance, one might think that Janos Eifert, who is, first and foremost, a photographer
of the human body, is not really interested in nature photography. This, however, could not be
farther from the truth. His deep interest in this direction, which has been present his entire life,
stems, in part, from his socialization (Hódmezővásárhely, Martély). Moreover, he stands out
among his contemporaries for having seen so many different parts of the world, and having
proven himself to be such an astute observer of nature in all his travels. His dense, associative
work entitled Bird of Night (Schénbrunn, 1983), while it is simply a puritan representation of
the night, evokes a sense of unease. His photos entitled Martély, Backwaters of Tisza (1995)
and Martély, Tisza (2007) also reveal his intense rootedness in this landscape as well as his
emotion-filled and deep sense of empathy. His nature photos are also original in that, rather
than seeking to capture supposedly beautiful landscapes, he (in this category of works, too)
zooms in and concentrates closely on the observed microclimate — so much so that natural
forms and materials almost tend toward the abstract (e.g. River Bank, 1997). It is no accident
that, in connection to the nature photo group exhibition Encounters with Nature, held in 1997
at the Vigadó Gallery (organized by the Nimród Photo Club, of which Janos Eifert was still
president), Endre Manyoki writes: “Singling out authors is always a great risk. This time,
however, it is obligatory. [...] Janos Eifert [...] is elevated to the heights of spiritual existence by
his image of the tree of life which calls to life the ancient myth with elemental force."" Manyoki’s
praise tangibly demonstrates how the artist has always regarded nature photography as more
than merely the capturing of things seen and experienced.
25