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"This book proves that Vanfleteren has internalised the old light to such an extent that he can make it shine even without using lamps or sunlight." — Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer For the past twelve years, Stephan Vanfleteren (b. 1969) has been working intense hours in his daylight studio at home. Atelier is a collection of that work. Vanfleteren is searching for beauty and meaning, both in daylight and under artificial light. Grey stage curtains are everywhere as a constantly repeating background. The photographer embraces well-known personalities and anonymous people. He inspects and captures the grooves in the face of an old fisherman and the hand of Nick Cave on the same terms as he does a beachcombed bottle. He focuses an adoring gaze on his own children coming of age as well as on impassioned artists in their old age. He sees the frozen corpse of a kingfisher and the body of a twisting dancer, and watches as the sunlight slowly shifts across his stage curtain. Vanfleteren connects to the traditions of old and contemporary masters but remains faithful to his characteristic style. His craftsmanship and artistic nature make us both witness and party to the splash of incoming light.
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Stephan Vanfleteren (°1969) is one of Belgium's most renowned photographers. Among the general public, he is mainly celebrated for his penetrating black and white portraits of famous and anonymous people. However, his oeuvre is much more diverse than that. Starting his career as a press photographer, Vanfleteren made captivating photo reports about the events that dominated the news. Later on, he began to elaborate a variation of themes in extended photo reportages, going from storefront façades to a journey along the mythical Atlantic Wall. For his most recent work, Vanfleteren withdrew into his studio to focus on his own version of classic themes such as nude portraits and still life photography. Whether it concerns his journalistic, documentary or artistic photographic projects, Vanfleteren always remains true to his characteristic style and aesthetic. His expansive personal stories and reflections of encounters are mesmerising excursions of a photographer who feels as much a witness as an accomplice. A melancholic soul hides in the sensitive photographer. In August 2021 Stephan Vanfleteren received a Doctor Honoris Causa from the VUB - Brussels University, Belgium.
Zusammenfassung
Deutscher Text weiter unten
For the past twelve years, Stephan Vanfleteren (b. 1969) has been working intense hours in his daylight studio at home. Atelier is a collection of that work. Vanfleteren is searching for beauty and meaning, both in daylight and under artificial light. Grey stage curtains are everywhere as a constantly repeating background. The photographer embraces well-known personalities and anonymous people. He inspects and captures the grooves in the face of an old fisherman and the hand of Nick Cave on the same terms as he does a beachcombed bottle. He focuses an adoring gaze on his own children coming of age as well as on impassioned artists in their old age. He sees the frozen corpse of a kingfisher and the body of a twisting dancer, and watches as the sunlight slowly shifts across his stage curtain. Vanfleteren connects to the traditions of old and contemporary masters but remains faithful to his characteristic style. His craftsmanship and artistic nature make us both witness and party to the splash of incoming light. With text contributions by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer and Stephan Vanfleteren.
Meisterhafter Überblick über die Studiofotografie von Stephan Vanfleteren
„Dieses Buch beweist, dass Vanfleteren das alte Licht so intensiv verinnerlicht hat, dass er es auch ohne Lampen und Sonnenlicht zum Leuchten bringen kann.“
- Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
In den letzten zwölf Jahren arbeitete Stephan Vanfleteren (geb. 1969) intensiv in seinem heimischen Tageslichtatelier. Atelier ist eine Sammlung dieser Arbeiten. Vanfleteren ist auf der Suche nach Schönheit und Bedeutung, sowohl im Tageslicht als auch unter künstlichem Licht. Graue Bühnenvorhänge bilden überall den sich ständig wiederholenden Hintergrund. Der Fotograf porträtiert sowohl bekannte Persönlichkeiten als auch unbekannte Menschen. Die Furchen im Gesicht eines alten Fischers und die Hand von Nick Cave werden von ihm ebenso inspiziert und festgehalten wie eine am Strand aufgelesene Flasche. Er richtet einen bewundernden Blick auf seine eigenen heranwachsenden Kinder ebenso wie auf leidenschaftliche Künstler im Alter. Er betrachtet den gefrorenen Kadaver eines Eisvogels und den Körper einer sich windenden Tänzerin, und er beobachtet, wie sich das Sonnenlicht langsam über seinen Bühnenvorhang schiebt.
Vanfleteren knüpft an die Traditionen alter und zeitgenössischer Meister an, bleibt aber seinem charakteristischen Stil treu. Sein handwerkliches Geschick und seine künstlerische Natur machen uns zu Zeugen und Beteiligten des einfallenden Lichts.
Mit Textbeiträgen von Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer und Stephan Vanfleteren.
