The Province of di Milano and the Alinari's Foundation in cooperation with Ville de Paris (Paris City Council), presented the collection of one of the most important humanist photographer of the XX century.
Born in Marijampolė, present-day Lithuania, Bidermanas arrived in France in 1930 to become a painter. In 1933, he directed a photographic studio in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris. During World War II, being a Jew, he had to leave occupied Paris. He went to Ambazac, in the Limousin, where he adopted the pseudonym Izis and where he was arrested and tortured by the Nazis. He was freed by the French Resistance and became an underground fighter.
Izis became a major figure in the mid-century French movement of humanist photography — also exemplified by Brassaï, Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau and Ronis — with "work that often displayed a wistfully poetic image of the city and its people".
For his first book, "Paris des rêves" (Paris of Dreams), Izis asked writers and poets to contribute short texts to accompany his photographs, many of which showed Parisians and others apparently asleep or daydreaming. The book, which Izis designed, was a success. Izis joined Paris Match in 1950 and remained with it for twenty years, during which time he could choose his assignments.
Among the numerous books by Izis, Gerry Badger and Martin Parr have especial praise for "Le Cirque d'Izis" (The Circus of Izis).
Shot mostly in Paris but also in Lyon, Marseille and Toulon, the photographs are "affectionate and nostalgic, but also deeply melancholic" with "a desolate undercurrent", forming a work that is "profound, moving and extraordinary".
The exhibition “Izis, il poeta della fotografia” showed a selection of about 140 photos.
I had the opportunity to discover the intense activity of this photographer who depicted "the dream" with his poetical style that I very much appreciate.
"Homme aux bulles de savon". Petticoat Lane, Middlesex street. Whitechapel, 1950.
This shot was one of the photos shown in the brochure advertising the exhibition and I believe it is indeed one of the most representative of the style of Izis's style.
I simply adore the oneiric atmosphere and the contrast between the (old) man and his gesture typically associated with a child's activity.
The light soap bubbles are also in contrast with the heavy and dark background and cloudy sky.
In my view, the depth of field that leaves the background out of focus plays also a fundamental role in the success of this photo.
Great shot that well deserves to be shown in the presentation of the exhibition.
"Fête", Place de la République, Paris,1950
Here I very much appreciate the frame, the diagonal cut that gives such a sense of freedom.
I can almost feel my stomach going wild with the movement of the carousel and hear the two ladies screaming while their hair fly in the air with their terrified bodies.
Again, in my opinion, the flat background in a cloudy sky gives to the image a sort of oneiric touch, like a timeless instant.
"Carnaval de Nice", Nice, 1956
In this photo I definitely like the narrative.
Who is this boy? Why his body is so tense? Why does he keep the mask and the bag of confetti so gripped, almost hiding them? Did he steal them? Or did somebody want to steal them from him?
The questions are unanswered because the photo is tightly cropped on the boy and the viewer can only remain with the taste of its mystery.
"Sur les quais de la Seine", Petit Pont, Paris, 1954
I believe that the perspective of this shot is absolutely very innovative for the time it was taken.
First of all, it is a very interesting view of a resting body that almost melts itself with the architecture around.
I needed few seconds in order to understand where was the head of the woman and get the right angle.
Izis takes my look and brings it around this picture like a journey to the discovery of amazing details: the shoes, the pantyhose, the stain on the knee, the "graphic" shadows, the overall position of the body...
Second, I think that he goes very far into an intimate look considering the fact that the shot have been taken in the '50s. And I personally appreciate very much his brave, intimate and intense look.
"Saltimbanques", Lagny, 1959
I personally adore lines!
Lines, ropes, cables, anything that can cut a photo fascinates me.
I like delimitation of spaces, the creation of different areas of visual space that can make a photo extremely attractive.
The lightness of this shot is simply fantastic and this is why it is one of my favourites.
I enjoyed very much this exhibition because, even after 60 years, Izis's photos, with their sharp cut of light and their particular sensibility to the atmosphere, still express a great deal of poetry.
He is definitely a fascinating artist, marked by the difficulty of the exile and by the war, but who kept intact his purely poetic nature.
His photographic style is intuitive, direct and oneiric and, among the humanists photographers that I know, he is one who better managed to allow the viewer from reality to dream.
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