Saint Leu D'Esserent, France
Artist
Édouard-Denis Baldus
(French (born Germany), 1807 - 1887)
Date1855
MediumSalted paper print from waxed paper negative
DimensionsOverall, Image: 12 × 17 in. (30.5 × 43.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 19 9/16 × 24 in. (49.7 × 61 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 × 28 in. (61 × 71.1 cm)
Overall, Support: 19 9/16 × 24 in. (49.7 × 61 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 × 28 in. (61 × 71.1 cm)
ClassificationsPhotography
Credit LineAcquired by exchange, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank
Object number99.8
Terms
- Landscape
- Railroads
- Buildings
- Documentary photography
- France
On View
Not on viewLabel TextÉdouard-Denis Baldus Prussian/French (1815-1889) Saint Leu d'Esserent, France, 1855 Salted paper print from waxed paper negative In memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank, acquired by exchange 99.8 One of the most important French photographers of the 19th century, Baldus defined the look of landscape and architectural photography before the medium was two decades old. This photograph is a fascinating contrast to the Chrysler's Claude Monet painting, View of Vernon, 1886 (see illustration). The compositions are similar, but the intent of the artists is quite different. The primary subject for both is a large structure roughly centered. Both works have strong diagonals in the right foreground. Monet's consists of a dirt road while Baldus's is of the dynamic vehicle of steel rails. Thus Monet nostalgically looks backward to times past, while Baldus looks to the future, to the strength of steel and to the advancement of the railroad. Although only a fraction of the cathedral's size, the rails nonetheless take on a significant proportion in the composition. The straightness and power, and above all the modernity of the railroad tracks represent the future of France and the world. These symbolic paths could serve as metaphors for the quaint art of painting and the modern technological marvel of photography. Edited By: CW Edited Date: 2007 Approved By: ERL Approval Date: 2007
