L’Autre ("The Other")
To mark the publication, by the In Fine Editions publishing house, of the very first monograph encompassing Antoine Schneck's entire body of work, the Berthet-Aittouarès Gallery is pleased to present a selection of the artist's finest photographs.
Whether he's focusing his lens on faces or closely examining a gnarled olive tree, zooming in on a Formula 1 racecar or maneuvering to frame the Saint-Denis Basilica's famous recumbent effigies, Antoine Schneck is constantly seeking the means to capture a state of otherness and share his sensorial experience with viewers. His photography serves to awaken the senses, much like painting in both approach and purpose, as he broaches all things and all beings with humility, in paying extreme attention to detail as if he knew that truly encountering the unknown requires suppressing all preconceptions.
Assembled according to a steadfast protocol, namely use of a black background, zero staging, choice of an acrylic lens to imbue the work with a unique sense of depth, Antoine Schneck's craft is as much about feeling as seeing. An up-close view is always what distinguishes Schneck's insight into his subjects, both animate and inanimate. But even more appealing is the sensation of proximity the artist feels when encountering each model. Such is his gift offered to the audience of his works, like engaging in a one-on-one with our humanity.
Galerie Berthet-Aittouarès
Since the opening of the gallery in 1986, Michèle Aittouarès and Odile Aittouarès-Inzerillo have made the same choices as they would for their personal collections and confront paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs or videos.