Pierre Jahan French, 1909-2003
La main aux yeux, 1948
Photomontage
23.5 x 29 cm
One of a few photographs developed by the artist himself.
Signed with the studio stamp and dated on the verso.
Perhaps one on the best known surrealist photos by Pierre Jahan, this work is a metaphor of the art of photography itself: the hand that sees, the hand that holds the camera.
It speaks of the Surrealist fascination with eyes and sight, as wel as the games of metamorphosis the movement held in high regard. The body transforms in surprising and fantastica ways. Photomontage became regarded by André Breton as way to reconcile the "problem of realism" in surrealist photography. It could produce a seamless intégration of disparate, insolite elements in otherwise normal pctures and confuse the mind of the viewer. As such, it was used by photogaphers like Dora Maar and Man Ray to create their iconic images.
Another edition of this work can be found in the Buhl Collection, and was exhibited at the Guggenheim museum during the "Talking with hands" exhibition.
It speaks of the Surrealist fascination with eyes and sight, as wel as the games of metamorphosis the movement held in high regard. The body transforms in surprising and fantastica ways. Photomontage became regarded by André Breton as way to reconcile the "problem of realism" in surrealist photography. It could produce a seamless intégration of disparate, insolite elements in otherwise normal pctures and confuse the mind of the viewer. As such, it was used by photogaphers like Dora Maar and Man Ray to create their iconic images.
Another edition of this work can be found in the Buhl Collection, and was exhibited at the Guggenheim museum during the "Talking with hands" exhibition.
Perhaps one on the best known surrealist photos by Pierre Jahan, this work is a metaphor of the art of photography itself: the hand that sees, the hand that holds the camera.
It speaks of the Surrealist fascination with eyes and sight, as wel as the games of metamorphosis the movement held in high regard. The body transforms in surprising and fantastica ways. Photomontage became regarded by André Breton as way to reconcile the "problem of realism" in surrealist photography. It could produce a seamless intégration of disparate, insolite elements in otherwise normal pctures and confuse the mind of the viewer. As such, it was used by photogaphers like Dora Maar and Man Ray to create their iconic images.
Another edition of this work can be found in the Buhl Collection, and was exhibited at the Guggenheim museum during the "Talking with hands" exhibition.
It speaks of the Surrealist fascination with eyes and sight, as wel as the games of metamorphosis the movement held in high regard. The body transforms in surprising and fantastica ways. Photomontage became regarded by André Breton as way to reconcile the "problem of realism" in surrealist photography. It could produce a seamless intégration of disparate, insolite elements in otherwise normal pctures and confuse the mind of the viewer. As such, it was used by photogaphers like Dora Maar and Man Ray to create their iconic images.
Another edition of this work can be found in the Buhl Collection, and was exhibited at the Guggenheim museum during the "Talking with hands" exhibition.
Provenance
Fonds Pierre Jahan (through succession)Expositions
2010 : Pierre Jahan. Libre cours, Musée Réattu, Arles (rétrospective).
2014 : Pierre Jahan. A l’ombre des rois, lumières et jeux de la photographie, Musée d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Denis (rétrospective). Work reproduced on the cover of the catalogue and in the exhibition.
2005 : Speaking with Hands. Photographs of the Buhl Collection, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.
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