Artwork Page for Nymphéa

Details / Information for Nymphéa

Nymphéa

1922–23

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
Culture
France, 20th century
Medium
albumen print, gold-toned
Measurements
Image: 22.2 x 17.6 cm (8 3/4 x 6 15/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
Credit Line
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2002.69
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

A prolific Parisian artist who enjoyed a three-decade career, Atget was one of the most important and original photographers active at the beginning of the 20th century. This sparkling landscape of a mass of white water lily blossoms (Nymphéa) is among Atget's best compositions, created in the 1920s, when he was at the height of his artistic prowess. This scene, full of luxurious botany, was probably taken in Bagatelle Park at the edge of Paris's Bois de Boulogne. He carefully focused on the floating plants and their sculptured flowers, detailing texture and shape. The early morning illumination created light and shadow patterns that enabled Atget to isolate flat, abstracted forms while simultaneously depicting a deep pictorial space. In this lush, purplish print, the lily pond shimmers with reflected shadows and brilliant highlights.
A vertically oriented gold-toned albumen print depicts a pond blanketed in water lilies. Broad, veined pads dominate the foreground, one featuring a small white circular tag. The pads recede toward a bright, reflective midground where light glints off the surface. Dark, massed foliage and trees create a heavy, rounded horizon. The scene is rendered in monochromatic sepia, with deep shadows revealing the intricate patterns of the floating vegetation.

Nymphéa

1922–23

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
France, 20th century

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