Jacques Alexandre

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Jacques Alexandre (born July 18, 1944 ) is a French photographer , known for his artistic photographs of women, children and landscapes in two main styles. His first, " romantic - impressionist " photography, was created in the 1970s , influenced by romantic and impressionist painting . His hyper-realistic style began in the 1980s , consisting of clear compositions and intense colors. He is also known worldwide for his lifestyle photography for media.

education

Jacques Alexandre was born in Arcachon , southwest France in 1944 . He attended the "Lycée André Malraux" high school in Biarritz , then the "Ecole des Beaux-Arts" - art school in Bayonne . With a grant from the French German Youth (DFJW) he studied from 1966 to 1968 at the Technical University of Cologne , Department of Photography, with the conclusion Dipl Photo engineer . He also passed the master's examination in photography in 1968 .

Career and style

In 1968 Jacques Alexandre worked as an advertising and fashion photographer in Düsseldorf , in the studio of Willy Gursky , Andreas Gursky's father . A year later he was responsible for advertising and fashion photography in the advertising department of Galeria Kaufhof in Cologne .

From 1970 to 1975 he worked as a cameraman for WDR . At this time he started creating photographic works in an impressionist style for international artistic publications, influenced by romantic and impressionist painting. For this style he used his own soft focus technique , combined with a corresponding image design . His pictures seem timeless and look like oil paintings because they were taken in natural landscapes without buildings, streets or cars. They have been compared to works by painters such as Caspar David Friedrich , Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir . In addition to his main subjects such as depicting young women, couples and children, he also devoted himself to landscape and nature photography , with which he always felt connected. These works were published worldwide in large numbers as photo books , calendars, posters , puzzles, art cards and stationery.

In the 1980s his hyper-realistic direction began, with clear compositions and intense colors, also for international artistic publications. This new style has been reported in prestigious photo magazines such as Zoom and Photo in Paris . As the new media began to supplant printed works, Jacques Alexandre chose lifestyle photography for the media and made his photography available internationally through picture agencies .

In 1998 he published his own printed picture catalog "The Best Of Jacques Alexandre" for the world's leading picture agencies ( A4 , 208 pages, 85,000 copies), with 1,008 pictures of children, families, beauty, lifestyle, landscapes, styles and artistic photography. At the moment around 8,000 pictures by Jacques Alexandre can be found online at picture agencies.

In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s , Jacques Alexandre spent several months on the Spanish island of Ibiza as well as in southern France , where he mainly worked with non-professional, natural models . From the 1990s on, he organized lavish lifestyle photo productions for photo agencies in the Maldives and southern France with professional models, make- up artists and assistants.

Jacques Alexandre's pictures were neither processed in the photo lab nor digitally - everything had to be done while they were being taken. This requires a precise concept, extensive preparations and meticulous work on the set . Nothing was left to chance, except for spontaneous, creative ideas.

Awards

  • 1966 - First prize from the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW)
  • 1970 - Asahi Pentax International Photo Contest Winner
  • 1980 - Kodak Photo Book Prize for the children's book "The Little Red Cat" , published by Belser Reich Verlag , Lucerne , Switzerland

Book selection

Picture magazines

magazine month year country description
playboy February 1975 Germany 8 pages of "Playmate of the Year"
Color photo June 1976 Germany 4 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color film April 1977 Germany Title page and 12 pages, photo essay
Fashion and living April 1979 Germany 6 pages, report on houses in Ibiza
Color photo October 1979 Germany Title page and 10 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color photo December 1980 Germany 8 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color photo April 1982 Germany Title page by Jacques Alexandre
Color photo September 1982 Germany Title page and 7 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
zoom December 1982 France Cover and 6 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
photo October 1982 France Title page and 8 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color photo April 1982 Germany Title page by Jacques Alexandre
Photo booklet April 1982 Germany Title page by Jacques Alexandre
Color photo October 1984 Germany Cover and 6 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color photo January 1987 Germany Title page and 8 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
photo January 1987 Germany 8 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
photo January 1990 Germany 6 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
The Regent 1990 China 8 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
Color photo November 1990 Germany 6 pages, photo essay on Jacques Alexandre
The magazine May 1996 Germany 6 pages, photo essay about Jacques Alexandre

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jacques Alexandre: Making nude photos masterfully: Tips, tricks and technology . Photo book. Wilhelm Knapp Verlag, Düsseldorf 1991, ISBN 3-87420-170-8 .
  2. ↑ a b
    • Color photo. 05/1975: " Matadors of the camera, Jacques Alexandre: Guided coincidence" .
    • Color photo. 06/1976: "Jacques Alexandre: In natural light" .
    • Color photo. 10/1979: "Jacques Alexandre: Images of meaning to complement" .
    • Color photo. 12/1980: "Jacques Alexandre: Escape into Illusion" , author: Horst Pressburger.
  3. ↑ Zoom, No. 103/1982, Paris, France, Jacques Alexandre.
  4. ↑ a b Photo magazine. 12/1984 Paris, France, Jacques Alexandre: "Au soleil d'Ibiza" , author: Herbert Molderings.
  5. ^ Jacques Alexandre - Stock Images. In: agefotostock. Retrieved February 3, 2020 (English, French, Spanish).
  6. ↑ http://imagenavi.jp/search/#!/creator:169 (Japanese)
  7. ↑ New at imago: Jacques Alexandre. Federal Association of Professional Image Providers (BVPA), accessed on February 3, 2020 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Alexandre, Jacques
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French photographer
DATE OF BIRTH July 18, 1944