Charlotte Dumas (1977)
Servitude and unconditional friendship, as well as physical exertion, hunting and war rituals are more frequently connected with animals than one might think. Photographer Charlotte Dumas is fascinated by animal species that have developed a stratified relationship with humans through the centuries.
While animals feature prominently in the Western visual culture, they are almost never portrayed in contemporary art. Photographer Charlotte Dumas creates portraits of police dogs, horses, wolves and stray dogs on a distinctively grand scale. She is able to make contact with her models with a tremendous feeling for their presence and character. This ensures that her photographs never appear distant despite their impressive size.
Dumas draws her inspiration from nineteenth century painters including Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) and Théodore Géricault (1791-1824). She is attracted to the heroism and tragedy of animals such as horses that these artists depict in their impassioned paintings. While her portraits reveal certain overtures between the model and photographer, Dumas is also focused on showing an explicit image. She uses light, poses and cut-outs to create animal portraits that showcase a timeless quality.*
Charlotte won the Scheffer Award in 2008. This biennial award is presented to talented young artists.
* www.depont.nl
