Laure Albin Guillot

As you might have noticed in my previous post 'Paintography and Wassily Kandinsky', I have been to Paris recently. When there I simply had to visit a very interesting exhibition of Laure Albin Guillot, a French photographer living and working in Paris at and beyond the first half of 20 century. Her photographs are on display at the 'Jeu de Paume' until 12 May 2013. To see her work was on my to-do list and what a great experience that was...

On the left is a montage of two extraordinary photographs taken by Laure Albin Guillot who started as a portrait and fashion photographer in the 1920's when a revival of elegance and grandeur of 'french style' was sought after (especially after the WWI).

Her understanding of the lens, light and photography would allow to a very subtle, soft, almost paint-like approach.

However, she was also involved with commercial photography and with the influence of her doctor husband also developed 'micrography', microscopic images that would be turned to patterns used on, for example, bookbindings.

Throughout the exhibition, I could not but admire her approach that is so modern even now. Just imagine a commercial image that advertises foundation make-up. Every photograph that is focusing purely on the product with just a snippet of the model is, at least to me, very different, very special, beyond its time. Probably something that is even now hard to find. This is what I find so special, so elegant, so unique.

She photographed artists, painters, sculptors, architects, ceramists, decorators, lacquer makers (she herself used lacquered wood to frame some of her photographs to make them to screens or fireguards for the Exposition Internationale des Arts Industriels et Modernes in 1925).

Her observation into the origin of the photographed subject and its transmission to a reproduced image was published in 'Micrographie décoratifs' in 1931. These were twenty plates of minerals or plants revealing micro patterns that could be eventually used for wallpapers, bookbindings or silks.

Laure Albin Guillot would see this as a decorative art.



An established photographer and artist of the time, she was a member of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs and Société Française Photographie, she was a director of the photographic archive at the Direction Générale des Beaus-Arts, the first keeper of the Cinémathèque Nationale and president of the Union Féminine des  Carrières Commerciales et Libérales.

What an achievement. How rewarding to visit exhibitions at first and explore more afterwards. I find it amazing to learn about people's lives, work and influences of that time on their work. With that, I will leave you and see you next time. K-)