Johan van der Keuken – Quatorze Juillet
- YEAR2010
- SIZE119,5x 27 cm
- COLOURQuadratone & fc
- BINDINGSempuyu-Style
- PAGES64 x 2
- TEXTNoshka van der Lely
- CONCEPTNoshka van der Lely & Willem van Zoetendaal
- DESIGNWillem van Zoetendaal
- ISBN9789072532091
It came to light that, besides the famous photo of the dancers taken on 14 July 1958, Johan van der Keuken’s archives contain a great many negatives from his Paris period that were never published. These rolls were shot on the same occasion as the widely known print and as an ensemble they depict an enthralling dance scene. If we view the photos chronologically we can observe people entering the field of view: young women wearing floral-print skirts and their hair bedecked with scarves, older couples, men from North Africa and young children with their parents. The people gather around the dance floor and the music strikes up.
The people chat, peripheral extras become leading players, a man with a ladder walks across the frame, a car drives around the corner. Some start to dance, while others spectate from the sidelines. We see girlfriends dancing together, older couples and children, too. Chance passers-by become new dancing partners.
Later on Johan van de Keuken selected the most beautiful of these negatives, the photo that for him encapsulated this event in a single image. For this book we have opted for a different approach, incorporating what surrounds that particular shot, what went before and what came after, bringing this session to a close. This reveals the ‘cinematic’ quality of the scene, the movement it embodies. It is as if the photographer dances along with the twirling public.
Johan van der Keuken QUATORZE JUILLET
Le 14 juillet 1958 Johan van der Keuken, 20 ans, est à Paris. Quai de Bourbon, à la pointe aval de l’île Saint-Louis, il réalise l’une de ses plus célèbres photographies : un couple en train de danser. D’abord parue dans son premier livre Paris Mortel, cette image a depuis été largement reproduite. Aujourd’hui, 9 ans après le décès du photographe et cinéaste hollandais, elle est à la base d’un livre* superbe et problématique. Les éditeurs ont décidé de publier les autres photos réalisées ce 14 juillet 1958. Non pas dans leur ordre chronologique qui aurait pu avoir vertu pédagogique**. Mais en organisant les images comme un ensemble de séquences filmiques. Pour justifier ce choix, Noshka van der Lely argue du double statut de van der Keuken et du fait que le montage est constitutif du cinéma comme l’organisation en séries de la pratique photographique. Le résultat, rythmé et enlevé est convaincant. Se développe une véritable « scène » de bal populaire. 14 juillet s’ouvre sur une variante de la fameuse photo, d’autres suivent. Puis la caméra s’éloigne détaille l’environnement. Des enfants s’amusent, un homme traverse la placette une échelle à l’épaule. Une décapotable passe. Deux amies dansent ensembles, notre couple sur le bord du trottoir discute avec quelque connaissance. Tout cela n’est pas sans évoquer Jacques Tati. Puis nos danseurs se remettent en piste et 14 juillets’achève sur LA photo. Si ainsi décrit cela peut sembler assez plat, visuellement l’éditing fonctionne. Ajoutons que l’objet-livre en tant que tel est très beau : papier mat, impression quatre tons, brochage à la japonaise dans le style sempuyo***, jaquette au papier à effet de matière.
Pour autant, l’ensemble pose quelques questions assez traditionnelles. Qu’est-ce que l’œuvre d’un photographe ? L’ensemble de ses négatifs ou uniquement les images qu’il a lui-même choisies ? À supposer que l’on accepte la première proposition – ce qui est loin de faire l’unanimité – on doit ensuite s’interroger sur le droit moral et la lattitude d’interprétation qu’un tiers peut s’autoriser****. Devant la réussite formelle que constitue14 juillet, sans doute peut-on considérer cet opus comme une méta-œuvre conçue par Noshka van der Lely et Willem van Zoetendaal.
Keizersgracht 609
+31 (0)20 551 6500
Amsterdam
Johan van der Keuken – Visual Narratives
September 24-December 8, 2010
One of best known photos by Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) is a dance scene on the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, taken during the Quatorze Juillet [Bastille Day] celebration in 1958. This photo was first published in the book Paris Mortel (1964). Another 32 negatives were found in Van der Keuken’s archives, taken on the same day and the same spot. These never-before-published photos form the basis of the exhibition Johan van der Keuken – Visual Narratives. The series shows the history of how the well-known photo came to be created and elucidates Van der Keuken’s perception and way of working. The compilers of the exhibition (Noshka van der Lely and Willem van Zoetendaal) have also selected a number of Van der Keuken’s other series, some of which have never previously been exhibited. Van der Keuken’s films will be shown as well. In addition, the book Johan van der Keuken – Quatorze Juillet will accompany the exhibition.
‘The young photographer strolls through the city; it is 14 July, the most important holiday of the year in Paris. He walks along the Seine and happens upon a small square where a group of people have gathered. A stage has been set up for the musicians. This provides the perfect vantage point for photographing the people dancing. We see a variety of people of different ages and backgrounds come together, attracted by the music. They are dressed in the fashions of the day; they have come to celebrate. If we look at the photos “chronologically”, we first see the people coming into view: young women with flowered skirts and scarves in their hair, older married couples, men from northern Africa, small children with their parents. The people assemble around the dance floor, the music starts. People start talking to each other, minor characters take on leading roles, a man with a ladder walks through the scene, a car comes around the corner. Then people begin to dance, while some look on from the sidelines. We see friends dancing with each other, older couples and children too. New groups form from people just passing by.’
(Noshka van der Lely in Johan van der Keuken – Quatorze Juillet)
By showing a carefully considered selection of images from that day, viewer are given insight into the way the photographer worked and how he ultimately chose that one well-known image. As a special touch, Foam’s historic Fodorzaal will be adapted to recreate the atmosphere of a dancehall, where Van der Keuken’s images will appear to dance around the visitors.
Since the start of his career, Johan van der Keuken — then principally a photographer – was interested in making movement visible in still images. He experimented with series of photos, which he linked so that an ‘image story’ was created. He also coupled out-of-focus shots of movement with stationary, sharply focused images. He thus discovered how a photo montage could speed up the movement contained in the images or give them another meaning.
The book Johan van der Keuken – Quatorze Juillet has been published to accompany the exhibition. The Japanese-style bound book which gave rise to the exhibition includes never-before-published photos from the photographer/filmmaker’s early period (€ 30).
Johan van der Keuken
