StoryÉdith Gérin, 1910-97
Édith Gérin was active as a photographer in the late 1950’s and then again in the 1980’s in the region around Paris. Her subjects of choice were the city of Paris and the forest of Fontainbleau, with its curious rock formations. In 1948, she became a member of the Group des XV (Group of Fifteen), which campaigned for the artistic and professional recognition of French photography. Her approach echoes the humanist style, but she was less interested in individuals than in landscapes, seeing them with a poetic eye and an occasional touch of wit. Fascinated by the atmospheric effects of mist and reflections on wet pavements, she was inspired by the experimental work of Impressionist painters. Later, she came to adopt a more direct approach, emphasizing the stony surfaces and geometry of moden concrete buildings. She would sometimes return to a location after an interval of several years and her work serves as a record of the urban changes that occurred in the second half go the 20th century.