Robert Demachy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Demachy, self-portrait , 1897–1898
"Severity," 1904
"Speed", 1904

Robert Leon Demachy (born July 7, 1859 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye , † December 29, 1936 in Hennequeville , Calvados ) was a French banker, photographer, painter and writer. He is one of the Pictorialists .

life and work

Demachy was a banker and amateur artist before he became known for his photographs in the 1890s. He is best known for his nudes and landscapes. His photographic motifs also included people in general, movement and street scenes. He wrote numerous articles on photography and authored several books. Demachy often grappled with the importance of photography as an art form.

Characteristic features of his photographic works are strong shadows, dramatic light and blurred transitions between people and their surroundings. Furthermore, he worked intensively with techniques in the darkroom and the post-processing of prints, so he simply continued to paint many of his photographs. He also experimented with gum printing and oil processes. From 1904 to 1907 Demachy wrote numerous articles on retouching and fine printing in the magazine Camera Work .

Robert Demachy was a co-founder of the Photo-Club de Paris , a member of the London Brotherhood of the Linked Ring and the New York Photo Secession .

Publications by Robert Demachy (selection)

  • Robert Demachy, Alfred Maskell : Photo-Aquatint or the Gum-Bichromate Process . London 1897
  • Robert Demachy, Constant Puyo : Les Procédés d'Art en Photographie . Paris 1906

literature

  • Bill Jay: Robert Demachy: Photographs and Essays , Academy Edition, London 1974, ISBN 0-85670-185-8

Web links

Commons : Robert Demachy  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Anne Hammond in: Michel Frizot (Ed.), A New History Of Photography . Könemann, Cologne 1994/1998, ISBN 3-8290-1328-0 , p. 300
personal data
SURNAME Demachy, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Demachy, Léon Robert; Demachy, Robert Leon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French banker, painter, photographer and writer
DATE OF BIRTH July 7, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint-Germain-en-Laye
DATE OF DEATH December 29, 1936
Place of death Hennequeville , Calvados