Eugene Atget Appreciation

[nikos79]

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Would you like me to do a critique about this one?

Not needed
But wouldn't be of harm to try!

 

[Alex Benjamin]

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Would you like me to do a critique about this one?

Of course !

(They look alive, don't they?)

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Add to that his art training in composition so that one can understand his refusal to allow anyone to crop his photographs.

It's there. Answer (c). André Lhote was Cartier-Bresson painting teacher. He credited Lhote for teaching him everything he knew about composition.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

 

[Alex Benjamin]

 

[Sirius Glass]

It's there. Answer (c). André Lhote was Cartier-Bresson painting teacher. He credited Lhote for teaching him everything he knew about composition.

And now others can see the deeper meaning of your answer (c).

 

[nikos79]

Reminded me this one of HCB

 

[snusmumriken]

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Reminded me this one of HCB

Yes, me too. Interesting that Atget took that one, if his motivation was purely to document. Arguably it's invidious to compare, but for my taste, HCB made a much better job of the subject.

 

[nikos79]

Yes, me too. Interesting that Atget took that one, if his motivation was purely to document. Arguably it's invidious to compare, but for my taste, HCB made a much better job of the subject.

I agree with you — their approaches are quite different. Atget's composition feels almost like a two-dimensional representation, with the boat perfectly parallel and the trees framing it like a fairytale scene or a carefully staged, timeless set. Bresson, on the other hand, plays with volume, texture, tight framing, and depth of field to create a sense of tension. As a result, I believe they evoke very different emotions. I’d even venture to say (forgive me, @koracs) that the first image speaks to the stillness of time, while the second hints at its passage. Just a few thoughts that came to me.

 

[koraks]

forgive me, @koracs

For what? I'm OK with people misspelling my name; I'm kind of used to it. Both online and IRL. It doesn't really bother me.

 

[nikos79]

For what? I'm OK with people misspelling my name; I'm kind of used to it. Both online and IRL. It doesn't really bother me.

Hahaha sorry for that!
Is it of Russian origin btw? Funny but in Greek it means "raven"

 

[koraks]

No worries! And no, there's no Russian connection.

Like so eh: κόραξ

 

[Arthurwg]

Yes, me too. Interesting that Atget took that one, if his motivation was purely to document. Arguably it's invidious to compare, but for my taste, HCB made a much better job of the subject.

Not the same subject.

 

[nikos79]

No worries! And no, there's no Russian connection.

Like so eh: κόραξ

Exactly!

 

[nikos79]

Not the same subject.

isn't that a lone boat resting in nature?

 

[snusmumriken]

Not the same subject.

I think I have some idea what you may mean, but would you care to expand a bit?

 

[Arthurwg]

So here's a question: NYT art critic James Farago says that modernism requires that "good art is good because it is innovative." How was Atget innovative? I think it was a new level of emotion brought to a "document."

 

[Arthurwg]

isn't that a lone boat resting in nature?

One is a functional boat ready to go, the other is a derelict boat that will never go anywhere. Yes, they are both "boats" but that's not the subject.

 

[nikos79]

So here's a question: NYT art critic James Farago says that modernism requires that "good art is good because it is innovative." How was Atget innovative? I think it was a new level of emotion brought to a "document."

First of all, nothing in art is ever truly new — it’s a constant process of reinvention, and 'modern' can be anything that moves you. I’m Greek, but most so-called 'modern' Greek literature is rubbish. Should I throw away Euripides just because his work was written over 2,000 years ago? That aside, Atget was innovative in many ways, largely because he rejected the prevailing Pictorialism of his time. His approach to photographing the ordinary with a poetic sensibility, elevating everyday scenes as if they were monuments, paved the way for photographers like Walker Evans and many others.

 

[nikos79]

One is a functional boat ready to go, the other is a derelict boat that will never go anywhere. Yes, they are both "boats" but that's not the subject.

I see what you mean. I thought of that too

 

[DREW WILEY]

"Gotta have a Guru", as the old 60's tune went. Malarky!

 

[nikos79]

"Gotta have a Guru", as the old 60's tune went. Malarky!

Well Raphael had Perugino, Da Vinci had Verrochio, and Brassai had Kertesz

 

[nikos79]

But I agree
Whatever says Farago

 

[koraks]

nothing in art is ever truly new

That can't be right. Despite the prevalent rehashing, recombination and re-interpretation of existing concepts, everything was invented at least once - and often more than once.

 

[snusmumriken]

One is a functional boat ready to go, the other is a derelict boat that will never go anywhere. Yes, they are both "boats" but that's not the subject.

That much is obvious; and one is French, the other Irish. But what do you say the subjects of these two pictures are, then? I don’t see that innovation can be a subject.