José NICOLAS (1956) - Lot 365

José NICOLAS (1956) Bandol Beach, 2009 Silver print On back, titled, dated, signed, numbered 2/8 Dimensions including margins: 29 x 34 cm Note: In this photograph taken in Bandol, José Nicolas captures an ordinary summer scene where bathers and strollers occupy the space of the shoreline. The wide framing embraces the sea, the rocks and the urban background, giving an overall view of the place. The composition plays on depth: the figures in the foreground, grouped together on the rocks, interact with the more diffuse crowd in the distance. The bodies, captured in simple gestures, evoke an almost timeless moment of collective relaxation. Black and white transforms this leisure scene into a contemplative image, toning down the anecdote in favor of shapes, contrasts and the balance of the landscape. The work is thus part of a sensitive documentary approach, in which the everyday becomes the photographic subject.