regards
b. vollmer
claude belime pierre corratgĂŠ gĂŠrard jaubert daniel rey benoĂŽt vollmer
photographic review 1
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landscape
A brief history of landscape in photography. Claude Belime
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Gérad Jaubert Benoît Vollmer Pierre Corratgé Claude Belime Daniel Rey
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A b rie f h is t or y of la nsc a pe in photogr ap h y
L andscape, « A thaught wh i c h e c h o e s t h e l o o k » L . W i t t g e n s t e i n , P h i l o s o p h i s c h e Unte rsuch un gen . Ni ce ph ore N iepce gave life t o p ho t o g ra p hy w hil e t a k in g t he f ir s t ph o t o g r a ph i n 1826, w h i ch was that of a lan d s c a p e s e e n f r o m his w in d ow a t L e Gr a s S a i nt - L o up- deVa r e nne s. T h e histor y of lan d sc a p e t he n f o l l o w s t he his t o r y of p hot o g r a ph y Fr o m th e ve r y begin n in g, for te c hn ic a l re a s on s b u t a b o v e a ll f o r it s l a s t i ng a nd di r ec t de s c ri pti on of reality, photograp hy p u t t he e mp ha s is on d e p ic t in g t h e wo r l d. Th e m i ssi o n h e li ograp hiqu e of 1 8 5 1 is t he ke y e xa mp l e . It in f lu e n c e d la n s c a pe ph o t o g r a ph y f o r long and we will see that con t e mp o ra r y a p p r o a c h is p a r t l y lin ke d t o i t . I nf lue nce d b y roman tisism at t he e n d o f t he 19t h c e n t u r y ( Gu s t a ve l e G r a y, 1 8 2 0 1882) , th e n by p ictorialism, land s c a p e p ho t o g ra p hy w a s p u t u n d e r a r t r es ea r c h i n t h e i n t er war per iod. Abstraction ro s e ( A . S t i e g l i t z i n t h e U S , 1 8 6 4 - 1 9 4 5 ) , t h e i n f l u e n c e o f c onstr uctivism an d of Bau h a u s in t he 20t h d r a g g e d n e w v is ions , i nc r ea s i ng a rc h i tectural and urban views, wi t h a w i s h t o u n i f y a r t s a n d t e c h n i q u e s ( s e e B é r e n i c e A b ott, 1890-19 9 2 ). The ger man N e w Ob j e c t iv it y ( N e u e Sa c hl ike it ) , t h r o ug h t i t s wi s h t o present a raw world, throug h t t h e f r a g m e n t a t i o n a n d e x a l t a t i o n o f t h e s t r u c t u r e o f t hings, also contributed to qu e s t i o n n i n g n a t u r e . I n t h e U n i t e d S t at e s , Wa l ke r E v a n s i n a process of desacralisation w i l l f o c u s e o n t o f r o n t a l v i s i o n a n d w i l l q u e s t i o n t h e p h o togra ph ic d ocu men t.
Among all these major evo l u t i o n s , I p i c ke d o u t t w o p a r t i c u l a r i t i e s
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On th e on e han d , in Franc e , t he w o rk of Eu g e n e A t g e t ( 1857- 1 9 2 7 ) , pa r t icularly a i med at pain ters, d ram a t ic a l l y s ha p e d l a n d s c a p e p ho t o g ra p h y. Fr o m t h a t m ome nt on, this photograp hy e s s e n t ia l l y p la y e d t he ro l e of il l u s t r a t i o n. Deepl y a ttach e d to d etails an d the pic t u r e s q u e , it b o o me d in t he p os t c a r d wo r l d, m ak i ng a poi n t of glorif yin g a re g io n a lis t a p p ro a c h, a n u n u s u a l a n d no s t a l g i c r ep r esentation, as well as some i m a g e o f m o d e r n i t y ( m e c h a n i z a t i o n, b r i d g e s … ) . Up to now, the d evelopemen t o f a p e rs o n a l p ra c t ic e o f p hot o g ra p h y h a s c a r r i ed o n th i s pe rception , as well as t he id e a o f b e a u t if u l l a n d s c a p e , a t l ea s t i n t o t h e no n-profe ssion al photograp her s a n d t he g e n e ra l p u b lic . On the other hand, in th e U n i t e d S t a t e s , t h e n a t i o n’ s s t r o n g t h e o l o g i c a l b a c k-ground , which regard s n a t u re a s s a c re d , a s w e ll a s a s t ro n g t as t e f o r t o po g r aphical accuracy, both met u p . T h e r e s u l t w a s a p h o t o g r a p h y wh i c h a i m w a s to sh ow one’s d ev otion to the hol y w ork s o f t he c r e a t ion , e s p e c ia l l y dur i ng m i s s i ons in great geologic sites ( « G e o l o g i c a l E x p l o r a t i o n s o f t h e Fo r f i e t h P a r a l l e l » f or example, around 1860-18 7 0 ) . P h o t o g r a p h e r s s u c h a s T h i m o t h y O ’ S u l l i v a n ( 1 840-1892) and above all Car l e t o n E . Wa t k i n s ( 1 8 2 9 - 1 9 1 6 ) l a u n c h e d a m y t h i c a l w este r n a m erican trad ition wh ic h f org e d t he id e n t it y o f t he c ou n t r y. Ac r o s s t h e A tlanti c, th e emblematic photo g ra p he r of t ha t v is ion A n s e l A d a ms ( 1 9 0 2 - 1 9 8 4 ) i s still re le van t tod ay. The 20 th centur y vision o f l a n d s c a p e d r a m a t i c a l l y s t a r t e d t o c h a n g e a r o u n d th e 1960’ s an d 1 9 7 0 ’s. The we s t e r n s oc ie t y b e g a n t o w on d e r a b o u t a nd t o q uesti on th e con su merist mod el of d e v e lo p me n t , w hic h c a u s e d a r u n n in g a nd deh u-
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m a n i zi ng urban iz ation , combin e d w it h a r u r a l d e p o p u l a t io n . In Fr a nc e wer e b ui l t b i g blocks w hile surburbs emerg e d , m o t o r w a y s a n d h i g h s p e e d t r a i n w e r e r u n n i n g t h r ough the ter ritor y, touristic s t a t i o n s g r e w i n t h e m o u n t a i n s o r o n t h e s e a s h o r e … T he w orld is u n d ergoin g a crisis , j u s t a s is la n d s c a p e . N a t u re , w hic h b ec a m e t h e pl ac e of our growth during the ‘Tr e n t e G l o r i e u s e s ’ , h a s b e c o m e a s a f e a n d r e a s s u r i n g s e t ting for our life, which is ou r d u t y t o p r e s e r v e . T h e re fore, scien tists, geog r a p hs a n d p hil o s o p he r s f ir s t , in c on s i der i ng l a nds c ap e as the main topic of their stu d i e s , d e e p l y c h a n g e d o u r i d e a s o n t h e s u b j e c t . A l a i n R o ge r de ve lo p p ed his theor y o n l a n d s c a p e a rt ia l is a t io n , of it s c u l t ur a l a nd a r t i s t i c b a c kg round. Accord in g to Au gu s t in B e rq u e , if t he d is c o v e r y of la nds c a pe i s b o t h l i n ke d w i th the d eclin e of the e xe g e t ic a p p r o a c h o f n a t u re in t he l a t e Mi ddl e Ag es p a i n ting , a nd with the p rogress of Re n a is s a n c e , it is a ls o c o n s u b s t a nt i a l t o t h e c o in i n g of the word (landskap, end o f t h e 1 5 t h c e n t u r y i n t h e N e t h e r l a n d ) . L a n d s c a p e i s not an object, but a relation, a n d l a n d s c a p e a n a l y s i s i n t h e E a s t w a s b e g i n n i n g t o b r i ng ne w percep tion s. Pub lic p olicies take it ov er. In t he p ho t o g ra p hic mis s ion s o f t he Fr enc h « Di r ect i o n à l’Aménagement des Ter ri t o i r e s e t d e l ’ A c t i o n R é g i o n a l e » ( DATA R ) , b e t w e e n 1983 and 1989 , photograp hic ar t w a s c o n s id e r e d a s a ke y c o n d it io n t o c o ns i der a ti o n s on landscap e. The Fren ch « O b s e r v a t o ire d e s Pa y s a g e s » c re a t e d i n 1 9 8 9 der i v e d from i t. Its aim was to d ep ic t la n d s c a p e d y n a mic t hro u g h s e t s of ph o t o s s pr ea d a l o ng the time, and presenting o l d p i c t s e x t r a c t e d f r o m p h o t o g r a p h i c s s t o c k s … a s w e ll as conte mporar y creations ( p h o t o g r a p h e r s s u c h a s D o m i n i q u e Au e r b a c h e r, J o h n
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D a v i es, R a ymon d Dep ard on , Gilb e rt Fa s t e n a e c ke n s , T hib a u t Cu is s e t , S o ph i e R i s t el h u e be r, e tc. , particip ated in it.). A s a r e s u l t o f t he s e w o rk s , ot he r p u b l i c o r pr i v a t e m i s s ions saw the light of day (« m i s s i o n d u C o n s e r v a t o i r e N a t i o n a l d u L i t t o r a l » , « M i s s ion Trans-Manche by the Ce n t r e C u l t u r e l N o r d - P a s - d e - C a l a i s » , « M i s s i o n s d e s P a r c s Naturels, des Conseils Gén é r a u x , d e l a D i r e c t i o n G é n é r a l e d e s R o u t e s » , . . . ) . S p r e ad through books and exhib i t i o n s , t h e s e w o r k s d e e p l y i n f l u e n c e d t h e v i s i o n o f l a ndsca pe in photograp hy. The a c t u a l w o rk of R a y mon d D e p a rd on i n Fr a nc e i s to ta l ly i n ke e pin g with this tren d. The influence of the ger man c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e D u s s e l d o r f S c h o o l ( t a u g h t b y B e r n d a nd Hi lla Becher) promot e d a f r o n t a l a n d s e r ia l v is ion . T he adv ent o f t h e « p a inting » frame which happe n e d w i t h i n t h e m u s e u m i f i c a t i o n o f p h o t o g r a p h i c w o r ks, imposed large prints. Th e 1 9 9 0 ’ s w e r e m a r ke d b y a p h o t o g r a p h y o f r e p o r t p h o t ogra ph y. T h e follo win g work s of the s e a r c he r s a t t he e n d of t he 20t h c e n t ur y r ev ea l ed a m ore intimate vision of landsc a p e , c l o s e r t o t h e E a s t e r n c o n c e p t i o n . T h e w o r k s o f Au g ustin B erqu e p lay ed a large ro l e in it . T he b rin g in g u p t o d a t e o f t h e « B a s h o » co nce pt ( Nishid a Kitaro 1 8 7 0 - 1 9 45) , w hic h d e f in e s a p a rt ic ip a t iv e c o nc ept i o n o f l a ndsca pe , th e «F û d osei» con cept ( s t r u c t u r a l mo me n t o f t he e xis t e n c e) , t h e c r ea ti o n of ne ologism su ch as « ex ti me » … s e e m t o in d ic a t e a r e orie n t a t i o n o f l a nds ca p e ph otog raphy toward s a more in t imis t r e la t io n . A l l t ha t ma y b e r el a t ed t o a q u e s t of landmark s in a society tor me n t e d b y in d iv id u a lis m a n d t he ha r s h v a l ues o f a ca pita li st w orld .
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Me a nw h ile, the p hotograp hy of il l u s t r a t io n b e c a me t he mir ro re d i m a g e o f b ea ut y i n th e w orld in an id ealistic wa y of w hic h Ya n n A rt hu s B e rt ra n d ’s wo r k i s t h e a rc h etype . T h e ph otograp hical vision o f l a n d s c a p e is n o w mu lt if o r m. It is s o m et i m es b a s ed o n the last thirty years works a n d o n a n a l m o s t b i c e n t i n a r y s t o r y. T h e f i v e w o r k s p r ese nte d h e r e on ly explore som e o f t he m. If Gé r a rd J a u b e rt is in keepi ng wi t h t h e a m e rica n tra dition , Ben oit Vollme r ’s w ork , w hic h mixe s o b s e r v a t io n a nd a n i nt i m a t e r el a tion w i th the en vir ron emen t , is c l o s e r t o a c on t e mp o ra r y a p p ro a c h . P i er r e C o rr a t g é questions dynamics and th e i n n e r m o d i f i c a t i o n s o f l a n d s c a p e , w h e r e a s C l a u d e Be l i me and Dan iel Rey, in a more c o n c e p t u a l w a y, q u e s t ion t he c o ns t r uc t i o n o f l a n dsca pe . In creatin g lan d scape s o n p ho t o g ra p hic p a p e r, D a n ie l Rey ex pl o r es v i rt u a l landsca pes, a kin d of wastel a n d w a it in g f o r b e in g c le a r e d . T h e topic is far from bein g c l o s e d . L a n d s c a p e s a re c on s t a n t l y c h a ng i ng , f o r pl ac e s are ch a ngin g, bu t also for ou r v is io n a n d ou r c u l t u r a l b a c k g r o u n d a r e ev o l v i ng t o o. In so doin g, they are a real a c c e s s t o ou r hu ma n it y. It is t his c o ns t a nt b a c k - a ndf o r th b e tw e e n ou r en v ir ron emen t a n d ou r s e lv e s t ha t ma ke s u s e xis t . « We a re the world », Krishn a mu r t i Cla u d e B e lime , J u ly 20 0 9
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g érard jau b e r t As a caption to a painting showing a pipe, Magritte wrote : « Ceci n’est pas une pipe » (« This is not a pipe »). Indeed, it was only the illustration of a pipe. These photos mainly picture my own mental image of these landscapes rather than a strict realistic representation of them. In a way closer to a self-portrait than to the exact geographical description of a place. Everyone looks in its own way at the surrounding world, a look which is shaped by cultural background, memories and expérience - Carl Jung used to say that we are connected to our environment by sense perceptions as well as by our own unconscious mental projections. We can see things with a dreamy or critical look, a passionate or strictly observant one- and looks are even more different than fingerprints… And as we all know that a landscape only exists if looked at, it really matters to be as sincere as possible while reproducing the mental image we intend to photograph. To do so, everybody has his own technique. I for long experienced the fastiduous and complex « Zone System » method, but I’m now experiencing new ways of expression in the digital treatment of an image. Shall I precise that my approach is non-intellectual and non-conceptual ? It only aims at sharing émotions. For as Gaston Bachelard said : « Il faut être deux pour nommer une aurore » (« You may at least be two to call it a dawn »). http://jaubertgerard.com/ 9
Gérard Jaubert
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beno î t vollme r Ex Nihilo (2006-2007) Pigment prints, 60 x 75 cm to 110 x 138,5 cm In his Ex Nihilo serie, Benoît Vollmer captures the atmosphere of low season ski resorts. During the 1970s, building such resorts in these mountain ranges represented an amazing challenge. Benoît Vollmer’s vision of these residential complexes interrogates the notion of heritage that exceeds the ideas of achievement or failure. The shots of the surrounding environment put those bold experiences back in their context. Here, the artistic choice was to create a serie during the low season, a time when a certain strange atmosphere pervades those places. Places not yet covered in snow, seemingly forsaken. Once they’ve lost their functions, they start existing for themselves. To show this phenomenon is to show what goes on living at the margins of unreality when we’re not there to see it. This set of images that could be seen as purely documentary stages a ghost town simulacrum. We could also view it as a mere model reminiscent of the original meaning of utopia, a place that does not exist and invites various forms of imaginations. Magali Langlade, english translation Céline Leroy. http://www.benoitvollmer.com/
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p ier re co r ratg é The Mediterranean light is unsteady, constantly changing. In 2000, I started to collect those moments of light, each taken at the same place, on Torreilles seashore, near Perpignan.
I’m still working on it, with the only constant : a precise half sky half sea frame.
At the time I haven’t heard yet of Sugimoto and his « Seascapes », but if this had been the case I would have decided to do anti-Sugimoto : for my work in Toreilles, everything changes at the same place, whereas in Sugimoto’s, things are the same whatever the place.
Winter, summer, dawn, twilight or night ; colors sometimes change, even within a minute.
Photography is a matter of « times » as Jeanloup Sieff said : « In every photograph, it is really time that matters : time that slips through one’s fingers, through one’s eyes, time of things and of people, time of lights and emotions, time that will never be the same. » From this set of hundreds of pictures, I have extracted twenty photographs, not the more impressive, but rather those which shows best the changing and amazing light of my Catalogne.
That is « times in Torreilles ».
http://www.corratge.com
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Pierre Corratgé
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cla ude beli m e Land-Sky-Sea and Alsacian Sea Silver prints, 100 x 120 cm. Split up and reconstructed landscape, reduced to the mere expression of its basic elements, the sky, the land, the sea and the boundaries between the elements, whose main line is the horizon. Reconstructed landscapes holding meaning (chôra), even if the place (topos) becomes virtual. The triptichs ”Alsacian Sea” have been made during a residency in Wattwiller ”The days of water, a contemporary art trail” http://artisteslr.fr/artiste/claude_belime
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da niel rey My photographic researchs named ”Paysages imaginaires” (Imaginary landscapes) fall within the scope of the question of photography and other artistic creations crossing. Going furter into the experience in handling twisted reality to create fictitious images is at stake in this series of the ”laboratory of all the possibles”
Daniel Rey
Technique: photochemistry. Photographs are only made in darkroom, without camera, without film. Daniel Rey is Professor of photography at the Haute Ecole d’Art (HEART) in Perpignan, France. contact: +336 33 45 72 68; daniel-rey@hotmail.fr
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Photographic review Regards is published by association bla-blART 20 rue Lulli, 66000 Perpignan, France Publishing Director: Pierre Corratgé Committee of edition: Claude Belime, Pierre Corratgé, Jean Dauriach, Pascal Ferro, Michel Peiro. Communication: Odile Corratgé. Technical making: Pierre Corratgé English edition: Sophie Mérou. Contact: revueregards@yahoo.fr
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Next issues: • The other one(published november 2009, direction: Pascal Ferro) • Polaroïd (published january 2010, direction: Pierre Corratgé) • Rencontres (published april 2010, direction: Michel Peiro)
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