Lot n° 64
Estimation :
400 - 600
EUR
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - Lot of 18 black & white photo - Lot 64
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - Lot of 18 black & white photographs on paper, 7.5 x 11 cm each This exceptional lot of photographs of various flowers, captured around 1900, offers a formal exploration that emphasizes the structure and shapes of the petals, rather than the vibrancy of the colors. Here, flowers are photographed not in their usual radiance, but from a contemporary perspective that emphasizes their pure silhouettes and delicate lines.
The deep black background, used with great mastery, serves as the perfect backdrop to intensify the flancher of certain flowers, giving each image a strange and fascinating intensity. This striking contrast between the white or pale forms of the flowers and the darkness of the background creates an almost supernatural atmosphere, as if the flowers themselves were emerging from a parallel world or suspended dream. The contours of the petals seem to unfold in space, creating a visual tension that invites us to look beyond the color and perceive the organic structure of the flowers in its geometric purity.
This resolutely minimalist series is almost avant-garde for its time, transforming each flower into a formal study. Each shot becomes a pure composition, a dialogue between light, shadow and form, leaving the viewer with an impression of contemporary reflection on nature and the art of photography.
A departure from traditional color flower photography, these images create a sensory experience in which the viewer is invited to perceive the plant world in a radically new light. Each flower seems suspended in the void, its form delineated by light and shadow, becoming an abstract work of art within a photographic frame.
Léon Herlant (1873-1968), a man who was both a scientist and an artist. A doctor of medicine and pharmacology, professor and chairman of the Faculty of Medicine at the Université Libre de Bruxelles from 1930 onwards, Herlant was a perfect example of the spirit of his time: curious, methodical and sensitive to the beauty of the world.
In addition to his scientific work - including a book co-written with G. Billen in 1896, Micrographie des poudres officinales - Léon Herlant was a passionate Autochrome photographer. His photographs reveal an intimate view of nature and everyday objects.
His works include superb snow-covered landscapes, tormented studies of trees, and still lifes of great finesse, where colors burst forth in delicate light.
Weight: 0 g
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