A Portrait in Pictures: Nadar

Angelo · September 7, 2009

A Thread for discussing the works of Famous Photographers - Their images; Contribution to the Art; Social and Historical Significance.

In this thread please participate in a discussion about:

NADAR - wiki

HEILBRUNN Bio

Other Photographers in this series.....

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JimW · September 7, 2009

Here’s a quick overview of Nadar. If you’re interested, there are links above. The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History is a particularly excellent source.

Nadar (was the nickname from childhood of) Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, (1820-1910)

Arguably the greatest of French nineteenth century photographers, this guy was the first photographer (that I’m aware of) to take portraits that weren’t frozen. He looked at the stiff formality of the studio portraits made of his friend, the poet Charles Beaudelaire, and others, and he thought they were “indifferent plastic reproduction(s) that could be made by the lowliest lab worker”. So starting in 1853, he made efforts to capture more of the subject’s personality. His success moved photography forward. For this I choose him as one of my top ten favorites. Yet he did so much more.

In 1858, he was the first person to take aerial photographs.

He designed and built a huge balloon, inspiring Jules Verne’s Five Weeks in a Balloon.

He is one of the first to take photographs underground with artificial light, when he photographed the catacombs under Paris.

In 1874, when the painters later known as the impressionists needed a place to hold their first exhibit, Nadar lent them his gallery.

In 1886, he made the first “photo interview”, a series of twenty-one photographs of the French scientist Eugene Chevreul in conversation. Each picture was captioned with Chevreul’s responses to Nadar’s questions, giving a vivid impression of the scientist’s personality.

As a publicist and ringmaster, Nadar excelled:

“He had the entire building that housed his studio painted red and his name printed in gigantic letters across a 50 foot expanse of wall.”

“Art historian Nigel Gosling begins his book about Felix Tournachon with author Victor Hugo addressing a letter to him. All Hugo had to do was scribble Nadar on the envelope. Tournachon was that famous in Paris.”

Angelo · September 7, 2009

Jim

Thanks so much for bringing Nadar to our attention. As much as I cherish the works of the old masters I admit I was not familiar with Nadar before now.

I look forward to reading all the info in the links and returning for a discussion of his work.

Blaker · September 9, 2009

Jim, can you link to one or two of Nadar's photos and tell us what it is about those photos that made the most impact on you, and how you have incorporated what you learned from his work into your own
photography ?

Thanks!

Angelo · September 9, 2009

Blaker wrote:

Jim, can you link to one or two of Nadar's photos and tell us what it is about those photos that made the most impact on you, and how you have incorporated what you learned from his work into your own
photography ?

Thanks!

Are there any of Nadar's images that YOU find of particular interest that you might care to comment on?

Blaker · September 9, 2009

Angelo wrote:

Are there any of Nadar's images that YOU find of particular interest that you might care to comment on?

No, I don't know anything about Nadar or his photographs, which is why I thought it might be interesting if the person who brought him up could link to the specific photos that impacted and inspired him.

A Portrait in Pictures: Nadar

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