Recreation Assignment 1

JACQUES HENRI LARTIGUE

Born in the city of Courbevoie, just outside of Paris, in 1894, Jacques Henri Lartigue discovered his love for photography and art at the tender age of seven. Under the careful tutelage of his father, an amateur photographer himself, Lartigue became a dedicated student of the craft. Later on trained at the Academie Julian as a painter, Lartigue's career took many twists and turns. He began simply photographing his home and family life, mimicking the work of his father.


As Lartigue's experience grew, his work began to involve more complicated moving subjects, such as aero planes and athletic events. He was employed with various sporting magazines early in his career. The later stages of his career were geared towards fashion and glamour. He was known as a man of the world, and often took his photographs while traveling. He worked for numerous fashion magazines.

Lartigue's work went largely unrecognized in France. He began to receive attention in the United States in the 1950s during the art photography movement. Being an "amateur" so to speak helped his reputation for creating intuitively creative pieces that were relatable and socially relevant. He was often compared to photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Garry Winogrand who were known as "hand-held practitioners."

Lartigue's work often featured dramatic lighting and posing. They were full of life and energy, mimicking the free-spirited nature of his subjects. He met his main muse in 1930, Renee Perle. A Romanian beauty, the two often traveled together. He was entranced by her slender silhouette and glamorous hair and make-up. The lighting in this particular photograph i highly dramatic, and the framing, although it doesn't reveal much about her figure, somehow evokes the fashion and glamour that he loved about her. 

original image

my recreation

In my recreation of Lartigue's image, I focused on imitating his lighting and cropping. The model is his photo has a very contemplative feel, emphasized by his use of sepia tones. Although I chose to display my image in black and white, I believe I retained the aged and serious tone of the original.