All it takes is a click to freeze a moment. In the busy, changing cities of Paris and New York, Eugene Atget and Berenice Abbott captured the merging of old and new with photography as the cities were built up and modernized, catching effects of modernization on architecture, transportation, business and city residents.
"A Tale of Two Cities: Eugene Atget's Paris and Berenice Abbott's New York" is a traveling exhibit that will be available at the Ball State Museum of Art from Jan. 7- March 13. Previously showings of the exhibition include Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, La, St. Anselm's College in Manchester, N.H., and the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Ark.
The photographs come from the permanent collection at Syracuse University Art Collection, which offers several traveling exhibitions every year in a desire to "share our holding with a broader, national audience," said David Prince, curator of the Syracuse University Art Collection.
The exhibit consists of 40 photographs by Atget of Paris in the 1920s, and Abbott of New York in the 1930s-1950s. Atget's work was mostly saved as a historical record of Paris until discovered and rescued by Abbott. As a young artist Abbott met and photographed Atget in Paris, was moved by his work to photograph the similar changes that New York was going through.
The photographs are more than a record of the cities however.
"Both seem to have a similar sense of stillness as well as a sense of nostalgia. Both seem interested in those things which they fear will pass away in the not-too-distant future," said Assistant Director and Curator of the Ball State Art Museum Nancy Huth.
Atget began photography at age 40 after attempting acting and painting careers. Over the next 30 years, he took more than 10,000 photographs of Paris. Many were sold to stage designers, artists, city organizations and museums -- especially the Carnavelet Museum which was created to preserve France's history.
All of the photography was done with a 24-by-18 inch bellows camera and glass plates -- equipment that was heavy, awkward and, except for a few technologically-advanced models, is now rarely used.
Abbott moved to Paris in the 1920s to study sculpture, but discovered a talent for photography. She briefly met Atget right before his death, and was so impressed with his work that she bought all the negatives and plates from his estate.
After moving back to New York, she began a Federal Arts Project (FAP) documenting the rapid modernization of the city and its population. She also published and exhibited the Atget material until its sale to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1968.
Atget and Abbott share many similarities in their work. Both use extensive shadows and lighting to highlight and focus their photography. Because of slow shutter speeds, the majority of photos with people are posed, but both artists also used carefully planned motions to add to their work.
Abbott, despite a carefully mapped-out plan of execution of the photography, found herself drawn to specific areas and subject matters, including specific street corners and gothic architecture.
Similarly, Atget's photos often include street people, ironic, contrasting images of new and old, such as highways with carriages and architecture of older buildings, especially ones marked for demolition.
A gallery talk will be held January 23 at 2:30 to 3 p.m. by Associate Professor of Art Ron Rarick titled "'For now we see through a glass darkly:' Atget, Abbott, and the Mythic City" for anyone interested in more information on the artists.
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