Événements

In dialogue with the exhibition Edward Weston — Becoming Modern, we invite you to explore the theme of still life through the eyes of twelve photographers.

Still life is an artistic genre that was developed in the 17th century. Painters depicted inanimate objects or things, such as flowers, fruits, vessels or musical instruments, often chosen for their beauty or symbolic value. Some still lifes celebrate wealth or the beauty of the world, while others, known as ‘vanitas,’ invite reflection on time, fragility, and death through the depiction of wilted flowers, an hourglass, or even a skull.

Since photography was invented in the 19th century, photographers have been inspired by these paintings. Some have taken up the codes of painting, choosing and setting objects in front of their cameras. Through the use of light, shadows and two-colour printing (black and white), they have transformed simple objects into poetic images.

Other photographers choose not to imitate painting, but to invent their own artistic language, revealing the unique presence and beauty of each thing. For them, the object becomes a subject for experimentation and its setting a space for creative freedom.

Even today, this artistic genre invites us to look at things differently: to observe the details, to look at beauty in simple objects and to explore the diversity of perspectives that photography can offer us.

Now it’s your turn to open your eyes to the world of objects…
And maybe to create your own photographic still life!

Lead image : Luigi Ghirri, Bologne, du portfolio “Atelier Morandi”, 1989-1990 © Estate of Luigi Ghirri