Atget and Berenice Abbott

[hudson]

Hopefully, people won't mind if I start lots of threads about my favorite photographers. It's fun talking about and I like to get other people's views.

Atget was really a revelation for me. I spent a lot of time a few years ago viewing photo books and I think Atget was were I learned the most. He considered himself a documentarian and not an artist...photographing the old Paris that was disappearing and selling the photos to the city plus providing "documents" for artists to work with. So, maybe this workman's view of photography really let him hone his craft. One of the main things I picked up was how he always photographs a store window or city street at a skewed angle which really pops the details.

I always like Berenice Abbott, having grown up in NYC. So I was surprised to learn she spent years living in Paris studying under Man Ray and was a big champion of Arget, organizing exhibitions and books about him after his death. But, after learning about this, the connection made sense...I could see both the surrealist influence and the workman, documentarian influence in her work. She spent six years to produce her New York City photos.

I think I like Atget better than Berenice Abbott. Maybe it's just Paris is a warmer city and NYC comes off as too large and impersonal.

 

[Bill Burk]

hudson,

I hope you start lots of threads about connections between photographers.

I never knew about their connection, but it looks like Berenice Abbott had and printed Atget's negs...

http://www.nga.gov/feature/atget/bio.shtm

Thanks

 

[hudson]

Hi Bill Burk, thanks for the link and also the encouragement! I really like Atgat's quote from your link, made when offering to sell his glass plates to the government: "I can say I possess all of Old Paris."

The thing about Berenice Abbott is she had an unerring sense of the right angle to shoot a building to give it the best form and volume and put the viewer into that space. As you mention, she printed Atget's negatives after his death and I'm sure she developed this sense through his work.

 

[cliveh]

Hopefully, people won't mind if I start lots of threads about my favorite photographers. It's fun talking about and I like to get other people's views.

Atget was really a revelation for me. I spent a lot of time a few years ago viewing photo books and I think Atget was were I learned the most. He considered himself a documentarian and not an artist...photographing the old Paris that was disappearing and selling the photos to the city plus providing "documents" for artists to work with. So, maybe this workman's view of photography really let him hone his craft. One of the main things I picked up was how he always photographs a store window or city street at a skewed angle which really pops the details.

I always like Berenice Abbott, having grown up in NYC. So I was surprised to learn she spent years living in Paris studying under Man Ray and was a big champion of Arget, organizing exhibitions and books about him after his death. But, after learning about this, the connection made sense...I could see both the surrealist influence and the workman, documentarian influence in her work. She spent six years to produce her New York City photos.

I think I like Atget better than Berenice Abbott. Maybe it's just Paris is a warmer city and NYC comes off as too large and impersonal.

If it wasn't for Berenice Abbott, probably nobody would ever have heard of Atget and I think he is the Van Gogh of photography.

 

[removed account4]

from what i remember bernice abbott introduced atget to the surrealist crowd .. and it was her who saved all of his
glass plates from the dumpster, which is where they were headed

 

[dasBlute]

from what i remember bernice abbott introduced atget to the surrealist crowd .. and it was her who saved all of his
glass plates from the dumpster, which is where they were headed

Actually, he had already sold thousands of glass plates to the Paris archives before she met him...

But without her and Man Ray, those might have languished there in the archives for some time
before someone noticed their value. Which is kind of what happened to Eugene de Salignac and New York.

-Tim

 

[removed account4]

hi tim

thanks for correcting me.
i know he sold all the prints to the archives
i didn't realize he sold the plates to them too !
i have the hazen book, i should read it again !

john

 

[hudson]

Well, let's flip this on its head for a minute and say without Atget, Berenice Abbott may never have developed the artistic vision she was able to realize!

 

[lecarp]

Well, let's flip this on its head for a minute and say without Atget, Berenice Abbott may never have developed the artistic vision she was able to realize!

I would agree, giving Abbott the credit is somewhat like putting the cart before the horse.

 

[cliveh]

Well, let's flip this on its head for a minute and say without Atget, Berenice Abbott may never have developed the artistic vision she was able to realize!

I think working with Man Ray may have helped.

 

[swanlake1]

I think working with Man Ray may have helped.

Well, OK...that's a valid point of view...please elucidate...

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Although I've come around a bit on Atget he does not really excite me much and I wonder if he was shooting the same style or subjects today if he'd be so recognized. I will say after obtaining a few books of his work and hearing other's viewpoints I appreciate it more than I have but do not consider him a favorite. Berenice Abbott on the other hand I think is terrific and she's one of my top ten favs for sure.

 

[cliveh]

When you first view pictures by Atget they may seem boring and run of the mill, but if you stick with them and really look at his images, the more you see the genius within. Many of the paintings by Van Gough may look non-descript at first viewing, but stick with it and really look and you will be amazed.