About This Image

Title in pencil in unknown hand. The print has been described inaccurately as a carbon print.In 1900, after Rodin and his photographer of the period, Eugène Druet, had temporarily fallen out while preparing for the exhibition in the Pavillon de l'Alma, Jean Francois Limet, another amateur photographer and the patinator of Rodin's bronzes, was commissioned by Rodin to take the photographs to be published in his catalogue. The remarkable fruits of Limet's investigations into color can be seen in his bichromated-gelatin prints. Limet's photographs of Rodin's sculptures show the surface of the work with particular luminosity.In 1895, the Monument to the Burghers of Calais was unveiled in their home city. Circa 1904, the sculptor asked Jean Limet, a painter by trade who had become the appointed patinator of his bronzes, to photograph the group: "very low, to let the public penetrate the heart of the subject, as in church entombments, where the group is almost on ground level." Limet photographed the Burghers from behind, to create the illusion of a procession, in keeping with the contemporary trend away from realistic photography towards an Impressionistic vision. The new theories of the Pictorialist school defended personal interpretation and participation. From then on, the photographer was regarded as an artist in his own right.The graininess of the bichromated-gelatin print and the radiographic effects that Limet obtained enabled him to dematerialize the contours and introduce color into the sculpture. To tone his photographs, he used almost the same products as those he employed for his patinas. He thus obtained multiple variations in tone that contribute to the impact of these photographs of the Burghers walking to their death like an army of ghosts.Limet also took a series of photographs of Isadora Duncan dancing in honor of Rodin in 1903, some of which are in the Rodin Museum in Paris. His work is quite scarce.See: Alex Novak, For the Love of the Image: A Selection of 110 Photographs, p.31, fig.31.Provenance: Archives Rudier, Vente aux enche?res du 22 Juin 2003, Succession de Madame Raymond Subes, Cha?teau de La Motte a? Saint Lye La Fore?t. The Rudiers ran an art foundry that worked mainly for Auguste Rodin.

Most U.S. domestic Fed Ex ground shipping (Media Mail for books) is free of charge except for larger and heavier items, or unless the buyer wants express shipping (email us your requests for the latter). International shipping and insurance costs will be added to the price and must be paid for by the buyer. Pennsylvania buyers must pay appropriate local sales tax. International clients are responsible for their local customs duties and taxes, which will be charged by Fed Ex, which will contact the client prior to delivery.

L'Appel aux Armes by Auguste Rodin
Jean-Francois Limet L'Appel aux Armes by Auguste Rodin

Price $8,000

Main Image
Description

Ref.# 14292

Medium Toned silver print

Mount unmounted

Photo Date 1905c  Print Date 1905c

Dimensions 15-1/2 x 11-5/8 in. (394 x 295 mm)

Photo Country France

Photographer Country France

Contact

Alex Novak and Marthe Smith

Email info@vintageworks.net

Phone +1-215-518-6962

Company
Contemporary Works / Vintage Works, Ltd.



 

Share This

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on linkedinShare on pinterestShare on tumblrShare via email