Underwater Swimmer

Andrés Kertész-American, Born Hungarian
1894-1985

Title: Underwater Swimmer, 1917
Size: 24x30 in
Gelatin silver print 

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One of his most iconic images is the "Underwater Swimmer," which he took in 1917 while swimming in the Adriatic Sea near the island of Korčula.

The photograph depicts a swimmer seen from above, his body suspended in the clear blue water with the sun shining through the surface above. The image has a dreamlike quality, with the swimmer appearing weightless and ethereal.

What's striking about Underwater Swimmer is that it’s the first example of Kertész’s now-signature use of distortions, a technique he went on to revisit repeatedly. With this photograph, Kertész also pioneered the idea of capturing a person underwater, a subject that is rife in the art and photography worlds today.

Courtesy of The Mimran Collection