Lot Essay
Born in Odessa, Langman received his education at the Odessa Art School and the Kharkov Polytechnic Institute. He studied violin at the Moscow Conservatory and played in various orchestras and toured with Agit-Brigades. However, in the late 1920s, Langman began to photograph under the influence of Boris Ignatovich and Rodchenko. He became a photojournalist, contributing to the newspaper "Evening Moscow" and to the "Brigade of Boris Ignatovich". In 1930, Langman became a member of the "October" group, participating in its first and second exhibitions. The "October" group, led by Rodchenko, worked to counter the 'manipulation and distortion of reality' seen in photo-reportage and pictorialist movements. His work was also exhibited in "Masters of Soviet Art Photography" in Moscow in 1935. (Shudakov, Pioneers of Soviet Photography, London, 1983.)