Let’s go to the circus - Part 1

I don’t know if it’s because I have recently started to watch ‘Carnivale’ - another fantastic HBO show released in 2004 - or because I randomly came across amazing circus images in the last few days, but I decided to dedicate this new post to the world of the Circus. It has been a great inspiration for many photographers over the years, but many of them have played a great tribute to performers and artists of this intriguing art.

 Well, who has never been amazed by the magic, the mystery, the tragedy or the extravagance of a Circus? Acrobats, clowns, trained animals, musicians, jugglers - all acting together to entertain ‘children of all ages’. Isn’t it the perfect subject for any photographer? 

The Andreu-Rivels: Polo, René and Boby (Charlie) - Photo: Johnny Rivel Collection (c.1915)

 The idea here is not to recall the history of the circus over the ages - from Ancient Rome fighters to 19th century American travelers, from European Gypsies to Chinese acrobats, from Indian performers to Contemporary Circus artists – but just to look at Circus Photography and let ourselves be transported by the thrills of the spectacle. Here is a non-exhaustive random selection of Circus artists’ images, which will hopefully move you as they moved me.

 

Mary Ellen Mark, Indian Circus

Mary Ellen Mark is one of the most respected and loved documentary photographers in the world. She has achieved such a strong visibility over 4 decades of photography that I probably don’t need to present her here. After 16 books and numerous photo-essays and portraits in famous magazines, she is one the best humanist photographers of all times. Socially committed, she travels a lot to tell the stories of the lives of people on the edges of society. In 1989 and 1990, she traveled throughout India to photograph 18 of this country's liveliest circuses.

 

‘Photographing the Indian circus was one of the most beautiful, joyous, and special times of my career. I was allowed to document a magic fantasy that was, at the same time, all so real. It was full of ironies, often humorous and sometimes sad, beautiful and ugly, loving and at times cruel, but always human. The Indian circus is a metaphor for everything that has always fascinated me visually.’

Through moving portraits and candid daily scenes she shows us all the little secrets of these people, their affections for each other, their interactions with their animals, their hard work… Full of humor, emotion, simplicity, her images tell an extraordinary story of humanity.

Usman at Jumbo Circus. Mangalore, 1989

Pinky, Shiva Ji, and Laxmi. Great Royal Circus, Junagadh, 1990

Transvestite and Child Clown. Lion Circus, Bilsanda, 1989

Acrobats Practicing. Bharat Circus, Bulandshahar, 1989

Ratna Practicing at Great Royal Circus. Junagadh, 1990

Learn more on Mary Ellen Mark: http://www.maryellenmark.com

Learn more about the history of circus: http://www.circopedia.org/

An evening with Paul Graham

Tuesday night I went to a Photography lecture at the California College of the Arts. The speaker was the British photographer Paul Graham.

Paul Graham (1956) is a well-known artist who started color photography at a time when fine art Photography was all about black & white.  As an act of rebellion because -as he said- he was a ‘punk’ he was one of the first to combine social documentary pictures with the practice of color photography.
He was mostly inspired by American photographers such as Diane Arbus, Lee Freidlander, Garry Winogrand, who belong to the post-war artistic movement “New Documents” (as recognized in 1967 by the curator John Szarkowski for the MOMA.)

Because Paul Graham discovered photography through books he always had a unique relationship with them. This is strongly reflected in his work as books became his way to show his pictures, to tell his story. Books are the ultimate form of his art.

“The book is personal and direct, from the artist to you, complete and faithful.”

 

Through his first books published in the 80’s he portrays Great Britain struggles of the time. His ‘stolen’, candid images are strong symbols of the economical and political situation. They proved to be quite controversial at the time, especially as they were in color. From ‘A-1 The Great North Road’ and ‘Beyond Caring’ (pictures taken in unemployment offices) to ‘Troubled land’ (pictures mixing landscape with war photography in Ireland), he takes us on a subtle journey through the beauty and difficulties of daily life.

A-1 The Great North Road

A-1 The Great North Road

Beyond Caring

Beyond Caring

Troubled land

Troubled land

 Life is at the heart of his work. In ‘End of an age’, he shows us the face of adolescence. By mixing pictures with and without flash he captures the two sides of youth - in balance between moments of total blurred uncertainty and moments of perfect clairvoyance. The book itself is part of his creativity. As we follow the pages, the direction in which people look changes, following a circle, maybe as a representation of the circle of life.  

End of an age

End of an age

 
In his latest projects, he focuses on life in today’s United States – he takes us on his own very personal and intimate American road trip.

His photography reflects the flow of life: it’s a conscious vision of the world as it is. It’s a poetic dance with the world, yet it shows the crude reality of it.

In ‘American Night’, he depicts the social fracture of America through the images, as well as through the composition and structure of the book. The mix of overexposed pictures and full color reinforces the contradictions of American life and creates a musical intonation through the book.

American Night

American Night

 In ‘A Shimmer of Possibility’ Paul Graham takes the construction of his books to the next level. It’s not one, but 12 intimate books with no particular order, where he likes to play with the size and the position of each image. Inspired by Chekhov’s short stories the books are sequences of American lives. Paul Graham recognizes the flow of life through intriguing images – intriguing as life itself. Each little story is of beautiful simplicity, a spot of consciousness in the world around him, around us. By opposition to Cartier Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’ he captures random moments of ordinary life, non-decisive moments full of opportunities, when everything is open.

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com

Tendance Floue (Blurred Trend/Tendency)

2011 is the 20^th birthday of a French Photographers Collective called Tendance Floue.
Created in 1991 by 5 photographers with the desire to stay independent and keep  control over the content of their work, they are now 14 photographers who have a common vision on Photography in today’s world.
The identity of the Collective is determined both by the personality of each photographer and by the fact that they have projects together. Of course each photographer has his own personality and his own point of view, but since the beginning they also have the strong desire to share their experiences, their stories, their outlooks on the world. As engaged photojournalists concerned by social situations and political subjects, they depict the world through creative, artistic eyes.

They have “the strong belief that interactions between pictures can create a language; that the bringing together of 14 personal ways of perceiving the world and its hazards is the key to defining a more objective outlook. Tendance Floue’s language is to be found in the dialogue between photographs.”

Together, they participate to thematic projects, organize common exhibitions, create a publication named, “Made in” – China (2007), India (2008) and France (2009-10).

The 12 photographers + 2 new recruits

Pascal Aimar

Thierry Ardouin – co-founder

Denis Bourges – co-founder

Gilles Coulon

Olivier Culmann

Bieke Depoorter - new

Mat Jacob – co-founder

Caty Jan – co-founder

Philippe Lopparelli

Bertrand Meunier

Meyer

Flore-Aël Surun

Patrick Tourneboeuf – co-founder
Alain Willaume – new

It’s hard to present the work of 14 artists in 1 article, some here are a few pictures to show the type of work they do. Of course, I’m more sensitive to some photographers than others, but I really like the concept of this Collective, so today’s post is about the Collective as an entity, I’m sure I’ll come back to individuals in the future…

‘This utopia is still alive. And its fragility is more than ever a space of freedom.”

Thierry Ardouin

Philippe Loparelli

Pascal Aimar

Patrick Tourneboeuf

Olivier Culmann

Meyer

Mat Jacob

Gilles Coulon

Denis Bourge

Flore Ael Surun

Bertrand Meunier

Caty Jan

To celebrate their 20^th birthday, the work of all the artists of the group – excluding the 2 new members – is currently presented in 5 Paris galleries, from February 5th to 22th.

Baudoin Lebon : Thierry Ardouin, Flore-Aël Surun et Patrick Tourneboeuf
Galerie Les filles du calvaire : Pascal Aimar et Mat Jacob
La galerie particulière : Gilles Coulon et Philippe Lopparelli
La petite poule noire : Bertrand Meunier
Hôtel de Sauroy : Denis Bourges, Olivier Culmann, Caty Jan et Meyer.

Nadav Kander

Nadav Kander is a photographer born in Israel in 1961, who grew up in Johannesburg. He started photography at 13 and now lives and works in London..
I discovered his work at Paris Photo 2009, as he just won the second Pictet Prize on the theme “Earth”. He is in fact recognized as one of the most original and highly regarded photographers of our time.

The photographs that really caught my eyes at that time were from “Yangtze, The Long River”, a project realized through several trips in China.
Large, empty, foggy and moody landscapes where the presence of men appears like the last soul on earth. An unbelievable feeling when you know that more people live along the Yangtze River’s banks than in the whole of the United States.
For me the images show both beauty and emptiness, even sadness. While first looking at them, you forget the meaning of the situation there to just see the harmony of the scenery; but after a little moment you understand the deep reality of what is in front of your eyes.

By looking at the pictures, you can sense what Nadav Kander was feeling when he was there: “I felt a complete outsider and explained this pictorially by “stepping back” and showing humans dwarfed by their surroundings. Common man has little say in China’s progression and this smallness of the individual is alluded to in the work.”

"China’s landscape both economically and physically is changing daily. These are photographs that can never be taken again."

Here is a video where he explains his work.

Nadav Kander has also photographed the entire administration of Barack Obama (photos published in The New York Times)

He’s also done great images of American landscapes.

  

Discover much more on:  http://www.nadavkander.com

Henri Cartier Bresson

The first photographer mentioned on this blog had to be Henri Cartier Bresson.
First because he was the first reason of my passion for photography. I discovered photography through one of my friends, who as a photographer views HCB as a true master, maybe the best in the world. And then because I had the chance to visit a great exhibition of his work at SFMoma:  “The Modern Century”  - a retrospective of his stunning career featuring more than 300 images. Unfortunately the exhibition ended last week end…

Father of modern photography, he invented a new way to take pictures, combining art and journalism as no-one before him. His images feature mostly every day life but through his camera each scene became magic and beautiful. He had an unique way of capturing the perfect moment, the ‘decisive moment’ that makes an ordinary moment extraordinary. The tenderness of his look on the world combined with the perfect precision of his composition make each of his images a masterpiece of beauty and harmony.

‘Taking a picture, it is putting one’s head, one’s eye, and one’s heart on the same axis.’ - HCB

Learn more:
http://www.henricartierbresson.org/index_en.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson

“I’m a bunch of nerves but I take advantage of it in photography. I never think. I act, quick, like this and uhh. You have to forget yourself, you have to be yourself and you have to forget yourself, so that the image comes much stronger.” HCB

Interview in EN: http://www.americansuburbx.com/2008/04/theory-words-by-henri-cartier-bresson.html

Photographs and a few words from HCB in English.
More videos of HCB explaining his work are also available on youtube, but only in French.  They’re great to watch, of course better if you understand the language: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqsOYsZlPX4&feature=related

Welcome to Carte Blanche's Blog

This blog is about the Art of Photography.

From master photographers to famous museum exhibitions, from up-and-coming artists to small galleries, from amateurs’ fantastic images to online galleries, from photography books to web magazines.
Artistic photography is everywhere.

This blog will give Carte Blanche to all kinds of art and artists, from any discipline within the photographic range, as long as they are  worth looking at and have a certain level of quality.