Obecność Rydet. Portret z zegarem w tle
Rydet’s Presence. Portrait with a Clock in the Background

Summary/Abstract: Zofia Rydet (1911–1997) is sometimes considered the greatest Polish photographer of the 20th century. Although she created many different photographic series, arguably the most important is the Sociological Record, which she pursued at the end of her life (1978–1990) and which comprises some 30,000 photographs. The importance of this series (and Rydet’s work more broadly) is evidenced by the growing number of publications analysing her oeuvre. The article discusses different interpretations of the Sociological Record, including ethical issues, but it is also a tribute to Andrzej Różycki’s excellent film about the photographer: Nieskończoność dalekich dróg. Podpatrzona i podsłuchana Zofia Rydet, AD 1989 (Infinity of Distant Paths. Zofia Rydet Observed and Eavesdropped, AD 1989), which brilliantly problematizes assorted motifs of her work. Rydet’s fear that her oeuvre might be destroyed did not materialize – on the contrary, it became an inspiration for new projects, including field expeditions following her footsteps. Andrzej Różycki called his late photographic projects (referring to the ambiguity of the name: Zofia / Sophia – wisdom): FotoZofia (PhotoSophia) and FotoAndrzejoZofia (PhotoAndrewSophia) – their ideological convergences require further analysis.

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