The Best Portrait Photographer? The Intrepid Nadar
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2021
- Though his portraits, he place himself amongst the greatest: Manet, Monet, Courbet, Rimbaud, Hugo, Dumas, Sand, Vernes... Gaspard-Félix Tournachon better known as Nadar photographed some of the most talented and revered French artists to have ever existed. However, this man is more than a photographer...
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I need more channels like this in my life.
Wow! What a compliment!
I discovered Nadar when I read Roland Barthes' "Camera Lucida", so it was interesting for me to hear that he was actually famous for photographing famous artists/thinkers during his time.
Interesting story about Nadar:
When he came to Brussels to show of Le Géant, it attracted a huge crowd. To keep the spectators at a safe distance, the mayor used crowd control barriers. These type of barriers are very common today, but this was the first time they were ever used, so the Belgian people started calling them 'nadars'. This angered Nadar: as an anarchist, he felt ashamed that a tool made to control people was named after him. He even wrote a letter to King Leopold II (yes, thàt king leopold II) demanding him to make the Belgians stop calling those barriers "nadars".
Unfortunately for him, we still call those type of barriers 'nadars'. It could even be considered one of the very few 'Belgian' words: it's used by both the Dutch and French speaking part, but isn't used in any other language or country.
It's hard to say whether the photographs are so arresting because of his skill at directing his subjects or because of the incredible charisma that comes with such exceptional persons. It would be interesting to see him work.
Every time I feel I can't as an artist, this channel really gives me the feeling that nathing is in vain. And I really love make and learn art.
I confess! I recently discovered this channel and I have become addicted to it. Obviously, as addicts do, I am currently binge-watching it all. I can't even begin to describe the pleasure I get from this "information without pretentiousness" approach. If possible, a bit more content about photography as art would be greatly appreciated.
He sounds like the material for a pretty great movie
This comment is just here to say that while I commented only twice, I think, on your videos, I am overjoyed that I found your channel and that you continue to create I think the quality and calmness of your videos make them a thing apart. I love them and recommend your channel to friends. Good luck with your new project!.
That is so sweet of you! What a heart-warming comment. Thank you very much!
This guy had an awfully interesting life, and I'm so glad I got to learn about him! Love your videos!
Aww thank you so much Adrian!
I would argue that it is because of his captivating portraits of people that he was able to capitalize on, and help create, what we'd recognize today as the cult of personality.
i think the importance of subject matter can be underestimated. he knew where to point his camera in order to create images that would connect with people, both then and now, which is as much a part of his artistic achievement as his technical ability and aesthetics
Nadar appears in Jules Verne’s novels as Michel Ardan (anagram of Nadar)
You put so much quality in your videos, thanks also for uploading new artists not the usual ones!
I watch your videos because your research is impeccable, your presentation is succinct but joyful, your voice is soothing; but my favorite aspect of your videos is your pronunciation of French; it is just musical and makes me so happy. May you make 100,000 more videos.
I love this video. Thank you so much for making it.
So glad to hear that! Thanks Jake!
Would you consider talking about zdzisław beksiński? Whichever piece speaks to you the most.
I have only just discovered your very interesting channel, I will have a lot of catching up to do! And you have such a lovely voice 😊
Greetings from Alsace, France.
Absolutely wonderful video! I hope you'll do more photography-centered videos in the future. The shorts are good, but too short!
Very informative video
such an underrated channel
Thank you so much!!
I don't know how I got to this channel. but in the state I am in today, I can say that the question that was asked at the end of the video broke my mind
You have already answered the question!
To think about your question at the end - is Nadar remember because he fotografed the famous only or is he remembered for portraits that are phycological - I think that as you say both,
What is not discussed is the connection that he made with the sitters, thier relationship at the sitting was something of people on the same plane, the sitter where open to Nadar, trusted and accepted him in such a way that a symbiotic bond was forged allowing the for an image that achieved what both desired. Not just celebrity fotos but portraits expressing the sitters imageings but also the fotografers Sight into his desires and imagination to create a work of art that fuses the two into one vision
Better than in my art history books.
"He went up in a balloon during the siege of Paris just to shower the Prussians with leaflets castigating them for attacking Paris, the pinnacle of civilization."
That is the most French thing that anyone has ever done.
Cool
Nadar was the best portrait photographer of all time, period.
His knowledge of lighting people and exposing them on film or plaque at the right time to get the best impression of their personalities is a skill that is very difficult to learn, so it’s more by biological programmation that he knew what to do and did what he did.
Taking these photographs, he didn’t have the ability to take many shots of these people, if even more than one. Perhaps he got bad photographs and called the personality back to make another exposure but it’s unlikely as these personalities were rather busy people, so Nadar didn’t f up every time he took a portrait.
These days portrait photographers are able to take dozens if not hundreds of pictures of one person and later on decide which one to publish, this wasn’t the case of Nadar, not to the extent of the possibilities we have today due to the advancement of the technology and digital photography.
Photography back then was very time consuming and required being skilled in chemistry. They didn’t have light meters to calculate what settings to use neither, although with an identical set up it’s easy to figure out the proper settings after trying multiple times, but still, being able to capture people having a natural impression while posing like this with the equipment of the time was a very difficult thing to do, and that’s how he got appreciated and became recognised for his work, because he was a master of the art of photography.
"Hi I'm Nadar, and this is Jackass."
I just realized, Nadar's journeys by balloon and discoveries were happening probably not too far from around the time as L. Frank Baum wrote his "Wizard of Oz". I wonder if Nadar's fame gave Baum an idea for a joke character, who parodied him and his pomp and disastrous journeys?
It sounds like he was like the original Annie Leboivitz.
It's all down to the 'genius hair' :D
His photographs are not just images. They are portraits of the minds of the characters. See Beaudelaire, Rossini, Dumas, Zola or Berlioz. Or tormented Gérard de Nerval, weeks before he commited suicide.
I clicked this so fast hehe
Aww I hope it was worth it!
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BaudeLAIIIIIIIRE
I love when anarchists pop up in this channel
Didn't Nadar also pioneer the use of magnesium flash-bulbs?
I did read that as the nights drew in incredulous crowds would gather in around his quarters to gaze in wonderment whilst bursts of exploratory light would be emitted from his workshop/studio.