Grenier Possibly 1842 - 1965

Curator: Hippolyte Bayard’s photograph, "Grenier," believed to have been created sometime between 1842 and 1965, really captures a unique essence, don’t you think? It's held here at the Art Institute of Chicago, if you want to come back to view the original in person. Editor: My initial thought is: organized chaos. Everything in this still-life, from the draped cloth to the architectural tools, tells a story about labor and domesticity... although a rather untidy version of it, which is not without charm. Curator: Precisely! It feels like stumbling upon a forgotten artist's atelier. Bayard was quite involved with the photographic paper and techniques of the time, playing with textures, right? There's a deliberate sense of… preparation, maybe. What story might be captured in his choice to photograph his materials and working space? Editor: Oh, certainly! He seems focused on documenting the mundane. He spotlights materials of production -- a bottle of fixative solution, raw textiles-- granting a kind of monumentality to objects used in day-to-day artistic activity. Look at how prominent these usually invisible elements of artmaking become, set against the backdrop of his workspace! Curator: It also sparks my imagination because his photos tend to possess such raw emotional power. Consider his self-portrait as a drowned man – talk about using materiality and photographic techniques to question authenticity and existence! It adds depth to something as straightforward as this photo. Don't you think there's almost a melancholic spirit evoked here through these static objects? Editor: A melancholic *and* ironic spirit perhaps? In many ways, this reminds me of contemporary discussions around artistic labor -- the tensions of work and waste that occur in creative activity become strangely evident through photography's capability to capture fleeting moments. I find this more an elegy about tools than emotions, actually. Curator: Absolutely; a photo, though still, is a window to past thoughts! And perhaps past debates as well; very forward of Bayard! Editor: Indeed, and thank you both for coming to consider this image alongside us! I am glad we explored both what labor can materialize in art, and also, potentially, art making's raw potential!