Review Snapshot. Painters and Photography, 1888-1915
Van Gogh Museum until 8 Jan 2012
The door swung wide open for amateur photography in 1888 when Kodak introduced its first line of portable cameras with the slogan ‘You press the button, we do the rest’. Gone were the long exposures and technical difficulties of plate photography; snapshots were suddenly born. Unsurprisingly, many turn-of-the-19th-century artists turned to this new medium for inspiration. Through the celluloid experimentations of seven Dutch, Belgian and French painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the new exhibit ‘Snapshot’ at Van Gogh aptly demonstrates how photography opened artists’ eyes to new compositions and novel ways of capturing their subjects of inspiration. It’s also a rare and nostalgic look into their intimacies, their studios, their friendships (look out for Matisse’s picture taken by Henri Evenepoel) and perhaps even the ways of life at the time. But exhibit curators sometimes seem to have the obsessive-compulsive need to organise artwork thematically, even when the result is contrived and a bit confusing. For instance, Félix Vallotton used portraits of his wife as points of departure for his brushwork and Édouard Vuillard’s posed compositions are almost painting-like. Why show them in the ‘Friends and Family’ section along with Evenepoel’s lively pictures of children? They would be better situated in the ‘Posing’ area, where there also happens to be a clash of more domestic snapshots juxtaposed
with Pierre Bonnard’s nude studies. Interestingly, these nudes are quite clinical compared to the delicacy of his paintings – from what’s discernable in the teeny tiny prints, anyway. The gem of the exhibit is work from George Hendrik Breitner, who later earned international recognition as a photographer in his own right. ‘Snapshot’ deserves to be seen simply for the gorgeous prints of his nudes, with rich compositions and delectable lighting, and for his ‘Kimono Girl’ series. On the other side of the room, Henri Rivière’s graphic photos of the construction of the Eiffel Tower are shown with
Amateur photography opened artists’ eyes to new compositions his illustrations, which sometimes appear to be directly copied from the pictures. If the forced labels and organisation of the show are ignored, the creative window that amateur photography opened to these visual artists becomes clear. One painter could be inspired by his photography to experiment with other boundaries, while another simply manifested his vision through this new medium. Some of the pictures stand out strikingly, too, on their own merits, as these talented few were actually discovering a new art form. Marie-Charlotte Pezé
of the future; guest curators Jefferson Hack, Alison Nordstrom, Erik Kessels and Lauren Cornell present their proposals for ‘what’s next’. 7 Dec. Talent 2011 The 15 young photographers chosen for FOAM’s fifth annual ‘Talent’ issue will be exhibited at a temporary exhibition location on Vijzelstraat 78 (at the corner of the main venue How to use the listings on Keizersgracht). 15 Dec. NEW Denotes a new NEW Joel Sternfeld opening. – Colour Photographs Before a date desince 1970 The first s and notes a closing date. institione unusual major retrospective in the How to be listed Some w v Netherlands of Sternfeld’s a h liday s ill Please send all work, featuring more than gallerie during the hoheck c rs listings to listings@ 100 photos from 10 different hou n. Please timeoutamsterdam. projects. One of the pioneers seaso ead before ah nl by 13.00 on the of colour photography, the o you g 12th of the month prior New York born artist presents to publication. Information an image of daily life in America must include any admission over the last three decades. 16 Dec 14 charges, times and dates. Listings are Mar 2012. free but, as space is limited, inclusion is not guaranteed. Late or incomplete Hermitage Amsterdam submissions will not be included. Amstel 51 (530 7488/hermitage.nl). Open daily 10.00-17.00, Wed until 20.00; €15, Amsterdam Museum under-17s free. The grand St Petersburg Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357/Kalvermuseum’s Amsterdam outpost in the grand straat 92 (523 1822/amsterdammuseum. Amstelhof. Next door, find the Hermitage for nl). Open Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00; Sat, Sun and Children. national holidays 10.00-18.00; €10, seniors Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens: Flem€7.50, ages 6-18 €5, under-6s free. This ish painters from the Hermitage On museum chronicles Amsterdam’s past using loan from its Russian parent, the Amsterdam archaeological finds, works of art and some edition of the Hermitage is pulling out a far quirkier displays, such as a small cinema selection of almost 100 works by the three where you can watch clips from a range of titled masters of the Antwerp School and their films that feature Amsterdam. contemporaries, with a special focus on Peter Amsterdam DNA Amsterdam trivia buffs Paul Rubens. 16 Mar 2012. to the generally curious should all thoroughly enjoy this 45-minute ‘short-tour’ introduction Hollandsche Schouwburg to the city and its history. ongoing. Plantage Middenlaan 24 (531 0340/ hollandscheschouwburg.nl). Open daily ARCAM 11.00-16.00, €2.50. Once the city’s primary FREE Prins Hendrikkade 600 (620 4878/ theatrical venue and later a Jewish theatre, arcam.nl). Open Tue-Sat 13.00-17.00. Archiin 1942 it became the Nazis’ main deportatecture Centrum Amsterdam is focused on tion centre used to send about 80,000 Dutch promoting Dutch contemporary architectural Jews to camps. Nowadays the space is a war design now and in the future through forums, memorial. lectures and exhibits. NEW Red Light District Pilot ProjHuis Marseille ects Amsterdam wishes to change De Wallen. The exhibition will feature proposed projects Keizersgracht 401 (531 8989/huismarseille. for transformation of the Red Light District, nl). Open Tue-Sun and national holidays to leave prostitution largely unchanged but 11.00-18.00; €5, students €3, under-17s free. use the remaining vacant spaces for other This monumental 17th-century house presents purposes. 9 Dec 20 Jan 2012. exhibitions of classic photographers and new hotshots. Scarlett Hooft Graafland: Soft Cobra Museum Horizons Taking her inspiration from rugged Sandbergplein 1, Amstelveen (547 5050/ and inhospitable locations, Graafland creates cobra-museum.nl). Open Tue-Sun and national surreal installations (with the help of locals) holidays 11.00-17.00; €9.50, seniors €6.50, which document human interaction with ages 6-18 €5, under-6s free. Named after the nature. 11 Dec. Copenhagen-, Brussels- and Amsterdam-based NEW Naoya Hatakeyama: Natural art movement whose work it presents. Stories With the unique ability to create Lisa Walker Wearable Lisa Walker is a precise, refined photographs of moments when winner of the Françoise van den Bosch prize, huge and destabilizing forces are at work, awarded to experimental jewellery makers. Japanese photographer Naoya Hatakeyama Expect large, colourful, statement necklaces. presents ‘Blasts’, a series of photographs of 11 Dec. explosions in an open-cast limestone mine, Studio Tuscany: Karel Appel and a series of photographs of the Westfahlen Roberto Barni A collection of Appel’s large mine in Ahlen and a third series of the recent paintings and sculptures from his years in tsunami in Japan and the destruction that Tuscany, accompanied by a video made by his ensued in his own birthplace of Rikuzentakada neighbour, the famous Italian painter Roberto in Iwate. 16 Dec 26 Feb 2012. Barni. 15 Jan 2012. NEW Siebe Swart: Land of Air and NEW Cobra Art Prize Amstelveen Water Photographing the Netherlands’ ‘batThe 2011 Art Prize Amstelveen has been tle’ with rising water levels from the vantage awarded to British artist Nathaniel Mellors, point of a helicopter, Dutch photographer Siebe who combines art, music, theatre and text, Swart documents the scars left behind – such mirroring the multidisciplinary work of the as old dike breaches, enclosed river arms and Cobra artists. His psychedelic theatre, film, artificial peninsulas. 16 Dec 26 Feb 2012. video, performances, collages and sculpture blur the boundaries between meaning and Joods Historisch Museum incomprehensibility, and examine the complex relationship between language and power. Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1 (531 0310/jhm.nl). 10 Dec 4 Mar 2012. Open daily 11.00-17.00; €12, ages 13-17 €6, ages 6-12 €3, under-6 free. Located in the old Jewish quarter, this museum is full of religious FOAM items, photographs and paintings detailing Keizersgracht 609 (551 6500/foam.nl). the rich history of Jews and Judaism in the Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri until 21.00; Netherlands throughout the centuries. €8, students and seniors €5.50, under-12s CRITIC’S PICK New York Reflections free. The city’s premier museum of photogA retrospective of Saul Leiter’s abstract snapraphy. shots of New York. Leiter’s work is recognised What’s Next? Celebrating its tenth for his experimentation with light and shadow anniversary, FOAM presents four different in the early colour photography. 4 Mar 2012. expert visions on photography exhibitions My name is Cohen Photographer Daniel
Art ys HolidA
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Art
George Breitner’s photo and painting of ‘Girl in a Kimono’
Major institutions