CHRISTOPHER JACQUES: LYRIC WORLD OF RAIN AND SNOW
French photographer Christophe Jacques chooses an unusual time for his work. These are moments when the city is dominated by heavy rain; when the world outside the window, through which rain streams run, resembles a mosaic of colored umbrellas; when habitual images are distorted in a curved mirror of wet asphalt; when the lonely figure of a passerby caught in a blizzard dissolves in the distance …
Christoph Jacquot lives and works in Paris. Film director and screenwriter by profession, once he wanted to capture the rainy weather in Paris. So, quite by chance, the cycle of photo works “Paris in the rain” was born, and soon his photobook was published. The project was immediately publicized and famous. The success inspired the photographer to create similar series in Hong Kong, Chicago and New York, and each time he managed to convey the uniqueness of the rain in each city. Since then, his work has been presented in art galleries around the world.
“Only by learning to accept the world as it is, which means to accept the weather with all its whims – a person can learn a new, holistic view of the world”, – Christophe Zhakrot.
Kristof manages to feel and convey in his works an incomparable romantic mood created by rainy and snowy weather. No wonder he is called the best photographer of the rain. Cowering figures of passers-by, suddenly becoming so defenseless and small, sparkling asphalt under elegant shoes of a stranger, the city’s outlines and bubbles in puddles immersed in a white haze, the photo artist notices the smallest details of all these things that are imperceptible at first glance. He is fascinated by the confrontation of elements and civilization. What the majority dismissively calls “bad weather” is genuinely admiring.
From the point of view of the photographer, people are too focused on themselves, they too value their usual way of life, and therefore do not notice the diversity of the surrounding world. “Only by learning to accept the world as it is, and therefore, to accept the weather with all its whims, a person can learn a new, holistic view of the world,” says Christophe Jacrot. According to the photographer, it is such a weather that has a peculiar lyricism, which for centuries inspired the creators to create works of art.
Philosophical depth, quiet tenderness, romantic charm, bright melancholic mood, emotionality inherent in the work of Christophe Jacques, is transmitted to the audience. This poetry of the rain, which brings to each of us thoughts about something most intimate, this dramatic confrontation between civilization and the weather really expands the framework of the usual worldview, confirming the author’s thought: accept the world as it is, and it will open to you with unexplored beautiful faces.
