Jacques Lartigue
Name, Date of Birth / Death
Jacques Henri Lartigue was born on June 13, 1894 and died on September 12, 1986
Family & Biographical Information
Lartigue was born into a wealthy family in Courbevoie, France. His father, Henri Lartigue, first introduced him to photography at age 8. From this point on in his childhood, Lartigue focused on things he enjoyed, such as cars, aviation, and sports. After attending school, he married Madeleine Messager, the daughter of a famous composer. Before their divorce in 1931, Lartigue and Messager had a son named Dani.
Education & Photography Education
For the majority of his life, Lartigue had a career in painting. From 1915-1916, he attended the Julian Academy in Paris for painting, which marked the start of his professional life. Other than lessons from his father, Lartigue had no formal photography training.
Places the Photographer Lived or Worked
Lartigue was raised in the town of Courbevoie, France, which is outside of Paris. For the majority of his adult life, Lartigue lived and worked in the city of Paris, France. Later in life, Lartigue traveled to the United States and England to take pictures. At the time of his death, he lived in Nice, France.
Major Contributions to the Field of Photography
Lartigue was known for his informal approach to everyday subjects. Although he was not truly discovered by the photography world until the early 1950s, his photos were praised for their un-posed, free spirited manner. This provided a contrast to the traditional, formal photographs that many were taking at the time.
Themes &/or Personal/Social/Environmental/World Events that Influenced the Photographer's Work
Lartigue drew from the pleasures of his own life. In the early stages of his photography, he reflected a boyish theme that showcased his love of life. His privileged lifestyle as a child allowed for him to capture the lifestyle of upper class society, taking pictures of cars, sports, social events, and more. Later in life, Lartigue continued to photograph the things he enjoyed, using a sense of movement to take mainly black and white pictures. His focus shifted to middle class society, giving people an escape from the trauma of World War II.
Interesting Facts About the Photographer
When I was looking for a photographer to research, Lartigue was interesting to me because he didn't necessarily try to get perfect pictures. Rather, he captured the more simple aspects of life in a very straight forward style. Also, I enjoyed seeing several activities in mid-air because it provided a different view of what was going on.
Jacques Henri Lartigue was born on June 13, 1894 and died on September 12, 1986
Family & Biographical Information
Lartigue was born into a wealthy family in Courbevoie, France. His father, Henri Lartigue, first introduced him to photography at age 8. From this point on in his childhood, Lartigue focused on things he enjoyed, such as cars, aviation, and sports. After attending school, he married Madeleine Messager, the daughter of a famous composer. Before their divorce in 1931, Lartigue and Messager had a son named Dani.
Education & Photography Education
For the majority of his life, Lartigue had a career in painting. From 1915-1916, he attended the Julian Academy in Paris for painting, which marked the start of his professional life. Other than lessons from his father, Lartigue had no formal photography training.
Places the Photographer Lived or Worked
Lartigue was raised in the town of Courbevoie, France, which is outside of Paris. For the majority of his adult life, Lartigue lived and worked in the city of Paris, France. Later in life, Lartigue traveled to the United States and England to take pictures. At the time of his death, he lived in Nice, France.
Major Contributions to the Field of Photography
Lartigue was known for his informal approach to everyday subjects. Although he was not truly discovered by the photography world until the early 1950s, his photos were praised for their un-posed, free spirited manner. This provided a contrast to the traditional, formal photographs that many were taking at the time.
Themes &/or Personal/Social/Environmental/World Events that Influenced the Photographer's Work
Lartigue drew from the pleasures of his own life. In the early stages of his photography, he reflected a boyish theme that showcased his love of life. His privileged lifestyle as a child allowed for him to capture the lifestyle of upper class society, taking pictures of cars, sports, social events, and more. Later in life, Lartigue continued to photograph the things he enjoyed, using a sense of movement to take mainly black and white pictures. His focus shifted to middle class society, giving people an escape from the trauma of World War II.
Interesting Facts About the Photographer
- In 1975, Lartigue was inducted into the French Legion of Honor as a chevalier (knight). This marked his excellence in civil conduct.
- Lartigue's work was showcased in the 1963 version of Life Magazine, the same edition that commemorated John F. Kennedy's death.
- The President of France, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, asked Lartigue to shoot a official portrait photograph of him in 1974
- By the time of his death in 1986, Lartigue had taken over 100,000 pictures, written 7,000 pages of diary, and painted over 1,500 pieces.
- Lartigue was the first living French photographer to donate all of his work to the nation.
When I was looking for a photographer to research, Lartigue was interesting to me because he didn't necessarily try to get perfect pictures. Rather, he captured the more simple aspects of life in a very straight forward style. Also, I enjoyed seeing several activities in mid-air because it provided a different view of what was going on.
I really enjoyed using a source of inspiration from Lartigue for the photography portion of this project. While watching the soccer game, I loved to try and find different players/situations that would be interesting to capture. After taking the pictures, however, it was a challenge to crop down the photos to bring out a more central focus. I had to spend a lot of my time looking for specific moments from a larger image, which was both fun and difficult. Overall, this was a really cool experience with action shots and bringing out the little things!