“By dint of frequenting the ancient and modern arts, writes Lucien Hervé, we have acquired a new faculty to move us … or gives rise to a vague idea of everything by often identifying a small detail with few means: just two curved fingers in an eye-shaped circle of elementary camera to isolate harmonious relationships of colors and shapes. Thus everyone’s eye can become a poet. I put there my ambition, to rediscover the inherent beauty of all things, the possible beauty of the insignificant.”
If Lucien Hervé was much associated with Le Corbusier, it would reduce his photographic approach to make it a simple architectural photograph: indeed, his photography is less intended to give an account of the architecture as such than offer the reinterpretation of a work on form (that given by the architect) from his own visual grammar. And the essential elements of this grammar, for Lucien Hervé, are light and geometrical (re) composition. During their first meeting, to Le Corbusier’s question “How did you become a photographer? Lucien Hervé answered as follows: “with a pair of scissors”. But in this work of “cutting” the real, there is also a beautiful place for humans: those that adds life to the dynamics of the lines. Because “the beauty of the insignificant” is also that of all those beings who come to populate this world of forms that is the world.
The photographer Lucien Hervé (whose real name was László Elkán) was born in Hungary 8/7/1910.He arrived in Paris in 1929 first atracted to painting, music and fashion, he started taking pictures in 1938 for Marianne Magazine .Closely related to the school of post war french humanist photography with photographers such as Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis, the career of Lucien Hervé takes a decisif turn after his meeting with Le Corbusier in 1949 .Official photographer of the architect until his death in 1965, Lucien Hervé he then recognised as one of the best photographer of architecture. During his sixty years career he had many publications and exhibitions in galeries and museums around the world. Lucien Hervé passed away the 6 June 2007 in Paris, he was 97 years old.
Lucien Hervé
Foch Gallery – Place Foch – 12000 Rodez
Exhibition open from Tuesday to Sunday from 14h to 19h
Soulages Museum – Avenue Victor Hugo – 12000 Rodez
Exhibition open from Tuesday to Sunday from 13h to 19h
Bandstand – Public garden – 12000 Rodez
