Basic Forms

German photographers and conceptual artists Bernd Becher (1931-2007) and Hilla Becher (1934-2015) created a unique architectural typology with a large number of images of industrial structures and influenced the documentary photography genre for several generations. The precise landscape images in "Bernd & Hilla Becher: Basic Forms" are rigorously arranged and combined to become a series of "perfect sculptures of the bygone industrial era."

Mines, blast furnaces, cooling towers, water towers, barns, and gas troughs—these unostentatious subjects are symmetrically placed in the center of the painting from a frontal perspective, with no human beings or birds in sight. The Bechers only shoot in the early morning or on cloudy days to eliminate the influence of light and shadow and rationally record the physical characteristics of the building; they rarely start from aesthetic intentions, but focus on function and integrity. Such creative techniques lead to an architectural form. The treasure house is classified and grouped by the context of appearance, structure, region and construction time. The compact composition more fully conveys the abstraction, expressiveness and seriality of photography.

The gaze of "Bernd & Hilla Becher: Basic Forms" may seem simple, but in fact it has a profound macro meaning - buildings and equipment develop similar lines and qualities under the consideration of form and function; on the contrary, despite the same use, Cultural differences and social background may also evolve different forms. Adhering to a bystander perspective, the Bechers established a reference point for a wide range of industrial landscapes, allowing the meaning of the images to demonstrate diverse humanistic and conceptual interpretations in a documentary dimension.

This book includes a foreword by Belgian art historian and curator Thiery de Duve, which provides a rich overview of the Bechers' methodology and work.