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Henri Le Secq - Amiens, Northern Façade of the Transept - 1996.253 - Cleveland Museum of Art
Summary
A pioneering French photographer, Le Secq is best known for his elaborate photographic studies of French architecture. His extensive photographic portrait of Amiens began in 1850 and continued for
several years. This detail of the cathedral’s exterior beautifully describes his skill at expressively
interpreting historic architecture. The photograph not only displays Le Secq’s preference and talent
for isolating fragments of buildings, but even more impressively attests to his ability to capture the play of light and shade over stone sculpture. He deftly used raking light to infuse vitality and plasticity to the centrally positioned carved figure and the architectural elements surrounding it. The lowered frontal camera position stresses an order and formality that Le Secq believed was inherent in Gothic cathedrals.
Henri Le Secq was born in Paris on 18 August 1818. He initially studied painting with Paul Delaroche and exhibited his work at the Paris Salon in 1843. However, he soon became interested in photography and began experimenting with the medium in the early 1850s. Le Secq is best known for his photographs of medieval architecture and sculpture. He was a member of the Société Héliographique, which was dedicated to promoting photography as an art form, and was one of the first photographers to use the wet collodion process, which allowed for sharper and more detailed images. Le Secq's photographs of Gothic cathedrals and other architectural landmarks were highly regarded for their technical precision and artistic composition. He also photographed the streets and buildings of Paris, capturing the city's changing urban landscape during a period of rapid modernisation. In addition to his photographic work, Le Secq painted throughout his life and was a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts. He died in Paris on 23 December 1882 at the age of 64.
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