The Virtue of Reduction

Exhibition at the Fotografie-Forum der StädteRegion Aachen in Monschau | June 29 – September 2025

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The term reduction is generally understood to mean reducing something to a lower level. Reduction can also be described as a form of simplification. Photographers use a variety of visual strategies to draw attention to the essentials. In addition to virtuoso compositions and contrasts, there are details to be discovered in the exhibition that only reveal themselves on closer inspection.

The 160 photographs in the exhibition show how differently the virtue of reduction is applied. They function as a kind of parkour for seeing and ask once again: What does a good photo really need?

(Text: Fotografie-Forum der StädteRegion Aachen in Monschau)

In view of Ullstein's press photography, every reduction seems to be a – skillful – risk. Isn't the primary aim of photojournalism to convey a topic to readers as clearly and comprehensively as possible, to conform to viewing habits? And don't the new image strategies of the 1920s overwhelm the average newspaper reader? Clearly: no. Reduced forms remain a risk, and they attract attention. What better way to direct the eye, captivate the mind, raise the question. In an instant. The strict image detail, the concentration, the elevation of the detail to the image-determining value – this is a great attraction for photographers, and there are many possibilities for the image statement.

Emil Otto Hoppé, Martin Munkácsi, Willi Ruge, Wolfgang Weber, Friedrich Seidenstücker, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Moholy-Nagy, Sasha Stone also knew how to use these possibilities for Ullstein publications. Their works, which not least wrote photographic history, can be found in the gallery below. Visit the exhibition “Virtue of Reduction” at the Fotografie-Forum in Monschau and see Seidenstücker and Renger-Patzsch together with other image authors.

The images in the gallery can also be found in the photo dossier at ullstein bild.