Walking
through the Marais in the rain this morning I kept seeing things I want to photograph,
buildings, details, lines. So it was appropriate that we were going to see an
exhibition of Eugène Atget, one of my favourite photographers. He photographed
Paris from the 1890s through to the 1920s, seeing himself as a documenter of a
changing city rather than an artist making pretty images.
I
love Atget because he thinks the same way I do – he sees the same images and
takes the same photos, in some cases literally, because we came across a photo
very much like a shot I took this morning
at Saint Severin. Whether he has influenced me or it’s just coincidence I don’t
know, but I enjoy his photos very much. Another level of enjoyment comes from
knowing many of the places he photographed, although they have changed very
much over the last century. Or maybe it’s because they have changed… The
exhibition is coming to the Art Gallery of New South Wales later this year, so
I can see it again.
The
Musée Carnavalet is dedicated to the history of Paris, and it has a great
collection. But it’s a nightmare to navigate your way – it’s difficult to
orient yourself, the signage is inadequate, and the maps are actually puzzles
developed for the Mensa entrance test. And by the time you get to the gallery where
you want to go, you find it’s closed for the lunch break. Just because of the
size I would recommend more than one visit if you want to see it properly; the layout
and ad hoc closures make that a necessity.
Here’s
a picture of a toy guillotine. Kids in revolutionary Paris had the coolest toys.
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