I am a fan of iconic French films... in the late '50s and early '60s French New Wave initiated an experimental era and Cauchetier documented it.
The life's work of Parisian photographer Raymond Cauchetier, now 97, is celebrated in this monograph. Philippe Garner, a Deputy Chairman of Christie's, gives the foreward.
Raymond Cauchetier's New Wave 2015
ACC Publishing
If viewed by his life's work, Cauchetier is an anthropologist, humanitarian, and photographer, his accomplishments broad. Cauchetier trained himself, studying the work of photo journalists working with the French Air Force in Indo-China and was awarded the Légion d'honneur by General de Gaulle in recognition of the risks he he'd taken doing so. He's followed his own path and not financial gain, something he expresses best in his own words.
"In common with my photographs of French New Wave cinema and the people and places of Indo-China, these images of Romanesque sculpture have been led by a desire to photograph what I like, without worrying about the immediate profibility of my work - perhaps this has been very careless of me."
Cauchetier is a member of the Société Française d'Archéologie since 1960. Following a decade collaborating with Godard, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy and François Truffault finding he'd exhausted his interest in cinema, he dedicated the past twenty years–two months of each year–traveling through Europe photographing major Romanesque sculptures with the loving help of his wife Kaoru. Together they've compiled a collection of 30,000 images gathered from 12th century Norway to Sicily, Ireland to Poland.
Cauchetier's life is one of spirited ambition. Raised by a single Jewish mother in a chaotic and strained childhood he has only a primary school diploma. A French friend of mine, Elisa Waysenson, once expressed a sentiment that frames the trajectory of Cauchutier's life, 'Our life comes full circle when we fufill the dream of our childhood.'
In his eleventh year Raymond Cauchetier experienced a life changing event. The 1931 Exposition Coloniale opened near his home. From his kitchen window he gazed upon an illuminated faithful replica of the temple of Angkor Wat, and began living and dreaming the of a far away place. One day, years later he would explore Angkor, being recieved with honor by the King of Cambodia in recognition of his work there. And so anchored the people and land of Cambodia in his heart forever, and he in theirs.
Raymond Cauchetier in Cambodia, 1967, on invitation of King Norodom Sihanouk.
Une Femme est une Femme, Jean-Luc Godard, 1960
Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo (Paris)
"In these images, Raymond Cauchetier, a witness to art, made art by bearing witness."
Richard Brody
À Bout de Souffle, (Breathless), Jean-Luc Godard, 1959
Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg (Champs-Élysées, Paris)
The story behind À Bout de Souffle began with the introduction by the French culture minister of an invite to filmmakers to apply for a 30 million francs loan at a time when no one thought a film could be made for less than 100 million. Ethusiastic, Jean-Luc Godard was happy to try. Sitting at a café in the morning writing out dialogue he handed it off to the actors and a French icon was made. It reads like the perfect storm, a window to create, and the ingenuity of a short budget that broke all conventional rules. Raymond Cauchetier will tell you the rest of the tale...
Une Femme est une Femme, Jean-Luc Godard, 1960
Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina, Paris
Raymond Cauchetier.
Cheers to a life well lived and your artistic contributions! We look forward to your work on the Romanesque, an expression of your love of architecture...
Comments