Although few things can be known for certain about Eugene Atget, it is fact that he was born in Lisbourne, near Bordeaux in 1857.
Atget began his life as a sailor during his youth, but when he returned from sea he turned to acting. At 40 years of age, Eugene quit acting and went on to experience with painting, and eventually photography. Atget’s photography has been admired by many, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Man Ray, with Man Ray even using Atget’s photographs to cover his surrealist magazine “magazine la Révolution surréaliste”. Some of the photos Atget was best known for were the photos he took of paris in 1898 using a large format view camera to capture the detail within the city. As he took many of his photos in the early morning at dawn, his photographs are notable for their treatment of light and wide views, giving the photos a sense of an empty area and relaxed atmosphere. These photos however were also able to shows Paris changing, and showing the beginning of modernisation. Atget has inspired me to show the detail of my surrounding in my own photos, as with a lack of people and morning light he has managed to not only create a desolate city but also focus on the buildings. “A good photograph is like a good hound dog, dumb, but eloquent” - Eugene Atget |
Enseigne Rue Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle.
France 1904. Rue du Jour.
France 1925. Parc de Sceaux.
France 1925. |