25 april 2024, Pienk de Gaay Fortman
Boundless photographers in motion at Galerie Bildhalle
Galerie Bildhalle Amsterdam dedicates an exhibition to the theme 'MOTION' with work by Casper Faassen, Lillian Bassman and René Groebli. What connects these photographers is their revolutionary approach when it comes to style and their handling of the material. Unlike photography as freezing the moment, they create energetic, dynamic portraits ahead of their time. Faassen through his multimedia approach and collaboration with professional dancers, Bassman through her analogue fashion portraits with special post-processing and Groebli with his multifaceted, unconventional oeuvre spanning over 70 years.
In the work of Casper Faassen (*1975, NL), movement plays a significant role. Firstly, because he collaborates with professional ballet dancer Madoka Kariya. She is the key figure in his new series 'Void', currently on display at Bildhalle Amsterdam. In a poetic manner, Faassen captures portraits of Kariya by encapsulating her in her dance element. The dancer is enveloped in mist, an effect achieved by the photographer through his own painting techniques. Inspired by 17th-century oil paintings, which he has been exposed to since childhood, he adds craquelures (small cracks) as a top layer. This gives the contemporary portrait photos a historical effect that contrasts with the blurry background. Notably, Faassen received the Dutch Talent of the Year (2007) and the ALPA Photo Basel Award (2019) for developing his own process.
Casper Faassen, Madoka Void II (left) and V (right), 2023, Tingusho Mino paper on setasand, courtesy Bildhalle
Regarding movement in his work, Faassen shares: “All painters and photographers have the ability to freeze time and capture a single moment. I emphasize that moment by adding an element of time – not necessarily by using literal vanitas references but through the handling of materials. The use of craquelure is my symbol for time and introduces a visual element since it is oil paint and thus sharp, contrasting with the rest of the blurry image.” The title of the series 'Void' refers to the Japanese concept 'Ma', the space that does not separate but rather connects. In other words, the visible and invisible represent equal value. A compelling example of this is Fuji (2023), where the focus is not on human movement but on nature. Just as a musician embraces the silence between notes and a poet the pauses between words, Faassen creates a sense of airiness and contemplation within a visual framework.
Casper Faassen, Fuji, 2023, Oil paint, color and white print on setasand, courtesy Bildhalle
In addition, Bildhalle is showing work by Lillian Bassman (1917-2012, US), who is not only known for her dynamic photography, but also led an eventful life metaphorically. Bassman completed Textile High School and studied fashion illustration at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In the 1940s, her talent was discovered by the renowned Alexey Brodovitch, Harper's Bazaar artistic director, which shifted her focus to graphic design. This encounter led to her appointment as artistic director of Junior Bazaar. During her lunch hours, Bassman experimented in the darkroom to develop photographs by George Hoyningen-Huene. Using tissues and gauze, she brought out parts of the photograph while using bleach to change the tone. In doing so, Bassman stepped outside the traditional framework of photography by adding her own dimension. After a successful career with models such as Barbara Mullen, Dovima and Suzy Parker, she turned her back on commercial fashion photography in 1969.
Lillian Bassman, Dress by Thierry Mugler, German VOGUE, 1998, Gelatin Silver Print, courtesy Bildhalle
Until her experimental photographs from the Harper's Bazaar period were rediscovered by Martin Harrison (fashion curator and historian) in the early 1990s. The photographer shares in an interview with The New York Times from 1997: “In looking at them I got a little intrigued, and I took them into the darkroom, and I started to do my own thing on them. I was able to make my own choices, other than what Brodovitch or the editors had made.” These 'reinterpretations' became one big success with exhibitions at the Deichtorhallen, a solo show at the Hamiltons Gallery and Caroussel du Louvre Paris.
The photos Dress by Thierry Mugler, German VOGUE (1998)" and Barbara Mullen, Harper's Bazaar, New York (1958) are displayed side by side at Bildhalle Amsterdam. Despite there being 40 years between the creation processes, we can still see Bassman's signature. Both are very elegant, fashionable portraits of women that contain strong light-dark contrasts. The models, with the lines of the dress from 1998 and the shadows on the neck from 1958, give the impression of charcoal drawings due to their delicate execution. While the early photo exudes directness as the model looks straight into the camera, the more recent photo focuses on abstracting and floating the dress. This is partly the result of her groundbreaking printing techniques, innovative graphic effects, and close bond with the sitters. Bassman both built upon established fashion photography and succeeded in pushing the artistic boundaries of the genre.
Lillian Bassman, Barbara Mullen, Harper's Bazaar, New York, 1958, Gelatin Silver Print, courtesy Bildhalle
Movement also forms a crucial part of the work of the internationally renowned photographer René Groebli (*1927, CH). Groebli has over 70 years of experience as a photojournalist, advertising and autonomous photographer with many career highlights such as an exhibition at MoMA (1955), Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne (2002), and the International Centre of Photography in New York (2023). He gained recognition at the age of 22 with ‘Rail Magic’ (1949), a series which he took on a locomotive in France and Switzerland. He skillfully captured the movement of the train's speed, the billowing steam and the passers-by in a fascinating way. Unlike the objectivity of many Swiss colleagues, Groebli aligned himself with subjective photography. Founded in the 1950s by Otto Steinert, this new movement was described as 'humanised, individualised photography'. Riding a bicycle freehanded from 1946, exhibited at Bildhalle, precisely demonstrates this personal, intuitive approach.
René Groebli, Riding a bicycle freehanded, 1946, Archival Pigment Print, courtesy Bildhalle
The same applies to the series that emerged in a private setting, where his honeymoon in 1952 with his great love Rita Dürmüller served as the starting point. From this came the touching, dazzling series ‘The Eye of Love’, also on display at Bildhalle. It reads like a visual love poem. We see his new wife naked in the contours of the hotel window, relaxed on the bed, and undressing while standing. Sitting nude, The Eye of Love, Paris (1952) exudes movement, purity and energy through the composition and the garment hovering above Dürmüller. The series sparked some controversy at the time but also received institutional recognition when Edward Steichen of MoMA New York acquired the photo in 1955 with its accompanying publication. After this success, Groebli transitioned to color photography, where his expertise in color transfer and color lithography did not go unnoticed: the American magazine Color Annual praised him in 1957 as the 'master of color'. In the 1970s, as color photography became faster, easier, and cheaper, he returned to black and white photography. This lifelong dedication to photography earned him a Lifetime Award from the Swiss Photo Academy in 2015.
René Groebli, Sitting nude, The Eye of Love, Paris, 1952, Platinum Palladium Print, courtesy Bildhalle
