Ed van der Elsken

1. Self Portrait (van der Elsken, 1951)

DESN1415: Intro to Photography (Digital) 600 Word Essay Word count: 558 Molly Winter Student ID: 201015232

2. Paris Kiss (van der Elsken, 1952)

I first discovered Ed van der Elsken’s work while I was in Amsterdam’s modern art museum, The Stedelijk, and his gritty street photography captured my attention. Van der Elsken started his career shooting photos on the streets of post-war Amsterdam, he then moved to Paris in 1950 and worked in the darkrooms of the Magnum agency (Siegal, 2017). While he was in Paris van der Elsken collated many stark images documenting the social culture around him and so in 1956 he decided to create a novel in pictures from Paris photos which led him to form my favourite collection: “Love on the Left Bank” (Siegal, 2017).

The images were ground-breaking at the time as they provided a snapshot into European counterculture and shone a light on the disaffected and rebellious youth of the 1950s.

However, the way that van der Elsken reflected this collective state of mind was what really intrigued me. In “Love on the Left Bank” he blends reportage with seductive fantasy through linking his images around the tale of an illfated love affair (O'Hagan 2011). The narrative centres on a number of fictional characters but the main focus is on Ann, an “enigmatic bohemian”, and his camera “trails her as she works as an exotic dancer, drinks, flirts, fights, sleeps, falls in and out of love” (O'Hagan 2011). The images are then narrated by another fictional character called Manuel, who is a young Mexican man that falls unrequitedly in love with Ann. As a result, this technique of blending fact and fiction creates mystery and intrigue and in some ways the characters act as metaphors for non-conformist youth culture as a whole.

I also admire the way van der Elsken manages to portray the opinions and emotions of the various youth subcultures. Despite the fact the images from “Love on the Left Bank” were taken in the 1950s, the mood that the collection encapsulates defies the tooth of time. The vitality shown in his photos of reckless, libertarian bohemians in post-war Paris is still relevant in the current sociopolitical climate. The images were taken in a moment of crisis in Europe and so are equally as pertinent today as the images highlight a multitude of economic and social issues that arise from modern society. Another element of van der Elsken’s work that appeals to me is the fact that he makes his journey through life the focus of his work. As The Stedelijk’s director said, “there’s almost a kind of revival of the ethics and values and interests of the ’60s generation, the streets, the direct contact and direct activity, and the movement of people into public life” (Siegal, 2017).

3. Love blossoms on the Left Bank (van der Elsken, 1954) 4. Ann applies her makeup (van der Elsken,1954) 5. Life on the Parisian party scene (van der Elsken, 1956)

6. Vali Myers and Pierre Feuillette (van der Elsken, 1950) 7.Auguste Hommel and Jean-Michel Mension outiside Le Mabillon (van der Elsken, 1952)

Lastly, Ed van der Elsken has a talent for intertwining symbolism in his photography too, for example in one image Ann is pictured leaning against a wall on which the word Rêve, meaning dream in French, has been painted. This image is particularly striking as this type of situationist slogan epitomised the sentiment among the students of the 1968 uprising in Paris. In addition, the pictures are mainly shot in grainy, high-contrast black and white which gives the impression of cinéma vérité. This production technique is very fitting for his work as in a sense van der Elsken could be classed as a more of progressive documentary maker than simply a street photographer.

6. Reve Paris (van der Elsken, 1952) 7. in the Mirror with Starlets (van der Elsken, 1952)

Image References: 1. van der Elsken, E. 1951. Self Portrait. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017].

Available from: https://www.pinterest.com/dennisfry/photographers-i-want-toknow-better/ 2. van der Elsken, E. 1952. Paris Kiss. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017].

Available from: http://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/ed-van-derelsken?view=slider#2 3. van der Elsken, E. 1954. Love blossoms on the Left Bank. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2011/feb/10/love-on-left-bankin-pictures 4. van der Elsken, E. 1954. Ann applies her makeup. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2011/feb/10/love-on-left-bankin-pictures

5. van der Elsken, E. 1956. Life on the Parisian party scene. [Online].

[Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2011/feb/10/love-on-left-bankin-pictures 6. van der Elsken, E. 1950. Vali Myers and Pierre Feuillette [Online].

[Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: http://www.parisphoto.com/agenda/edvan-der-elsken#eg1A9cyS8DzVPOuj.99

7. van der Elsken, E. 1952. Auguste Hommel and Jean-Michel Mension outiside Le Mabillon [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: http://www.parisphoto.com/agenda/ed-van-der-elsken#eg1A9cyS8DzVPOuj.99

8. van der Elsken, E. 1952. Reve Paris. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017].

Available from: http://www.dreamideamachine.com/en/?p=4278 9. van der Elsken, E. 1952. in the Mirror with Starlets. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: http://www.dreamideamachine.com/en/?p=4278 Reference List: O'Hagan, S. 2011. In the mood for love: Ed van der Elsken's Love on the Left Bank. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/feb/10/van-der-elsken-left-bank Siegal, N. 2017. The Intimate Lens of Ed van der Elsken. [Online]. [Accessed 24 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/arts/design/the-intimate-lens-of-ed-van-derelsken.html?_r=0