Baltermants, Dmitri, circa 1983 Jun 6-10
Scope and Contents
In the first of two segments, Dmitri Baltermants discusses the history of photography, theories about photography, and the relationship between photography and painting. At around the 23 minute mark, the recording breaks off, then begins again later in Baltermants's lecture, at which point he is showing slides. In the second segment, Baltermants presents slides of his work and shares experiences of photographing Russian soldiers fighting Germans during World War II. During the question and answer session that follows, Baltermants has a tense exchange with an audience member who asks about his experience working in a closed Soviet society. At the end of the recording the host of the event introduces Michael Brand(?) from Citizens Exchange, who organized Baltermants's trip from the Soviet Union to the United States.
Inscription: Dimitri
Dates
- circa 1983 Jun 6-10
Extent
1 1/4 inch Audio Cassette (01:18:00 duration)
Language of Materials
The lecture is given in Russian and translated into English by a translator.
Biographical / Historical
Dmitri Baltermants was an internationally recognized Soviet photojournalist and mathematician. He was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1912, but during WWI moved to Moscow with his family. Baltermants became a war photographer during World War II, and after the war served as the official photographer of the Kremlin, covering the visits of Soviet leaders to China, Cuba, and the United States.