A wave of construction projects is updating and expanding the city’s art and cultural institutions, indicating a trend toward modernisation and growth
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Musée d’Orsay showcases the work of pioneering Norwegian painter Harriet Backer.
From 24 September 2024 to 11 January 2025, the Musée d’Orsay presents the exhibition “Harriet Backer. Every Atom is Colour”
Source: The National Museum of Norway · Image: Harriet Backer, «Evening, Interior», 1896. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Børre Høstland
Harriet Backer (1845-1932) was a leading artist in her lifetime, occupying a central position in the Scandinavian art world, irrespective of gender. Every Atom is Colour will place Backer’s life and work in a time when society and women’s rights were undergoing radical change throughout Europe.
A prominent colourist with a feeling for light and atmosphere, she also established herself among artists abroad. The 15 years she spent in Munich and Paris were a turning point in her development. Arriving in Paris in 1878, she enrolled in Madame Trélat de Vigny’s atelier, where she met other women artists – including the Swedish painter Hildegard Thorell (1850-1930). Backer’s colleague and close friend from Münich, the Norwegian landscape painter Kitty Kielland (1843–1914), accompanied her to Paris where they shared an apartment in the city together for ten years.
Backer saw the male-dominated art world as a challenge, though she tended toward actions rather than words. In 1888, she established a renowned school for painters in Oslo, which she ran until 1909. Many significant artists such as Nikolai Astrup, Harald Sohlberg, Charlotte Wankel, Halfdan Egedius and Astrid Welhaven attended Backers school.
She also participated in the 1889 and 1900 Expositions Universelles, earning a silver medal in 1889 and through her positions on purchasing committees and exhibition juries, she played a substantial role in establishing equality and professionalism in the Norwegian art world which is still apparent today.
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New York-based photographer Evelyn Freja has captivated audiences with her emotive and intimate approach to capturing the world through her lens. From her early days exploring photography on her family’s rural farm to the moments of creative awakening in far-flung places like New Zealand, Evelyn has carved out a unique path in the world of visual storytelling. In this exclusive interview, she opens up about her artistic journey, the personal experiences that have shaped her, and the creative process behind her evocative imagery.
Can you tell our readers about your childhood, family, and the environment you grew up in? Were you drawn to art as a child?
I was born to a British mother and a father in the US Air Force, spending my childhood between growing up on my rural family farm and summers spent visiting my grandparents in a remote village in England. Much of my early years were spent in solitude and art was something I discovered naturally as a way to occupy myself. I was lucky because my parents always encouraged me to spend time in art and nature.
What inspired you to become a photographer?
I spent a year living in a small town in New Zealand when I was in my last year of high school. Teenage years are such a tender part of life, when you are just on the cusp of adulthood and figuring out who you are and what you want to say to the world. I was 17 years old, in a foreign land and immersed in a different culture. It was the first time in my life where all I wanted to do was take photos.
What was the first photograph you took that made you realize photography was your passion?
During high school, I began taking self portraits, sometimes around my family farm, and sometimes upstairs in my bedroom, like this one, with my cat Henry. During this time, there was a shift in interest, from creating self portraits for myself, to creating art for myself.
Do you consider yourself an artist, and what role does creativity play in your photography?
It took me a long time to consider myself an artist but now it is a very large part of my identity. When I first started photographing, I was embarrassed to be seen trying to make things out of nothing. Now, I simply don’t care as much as I did when I was younger. I focus on making art for myself. Creativity is everything to me. Inspiration can strike from listening to a certain album or making a cup of coffee, creativity is all around us.
How long did it take you to master the camera, and was it a challenging process?
Taking photos is equal parts analytical and creative. There is the mathematics of exposing a photo right and balancing the aperture and shutter speed with the components of the subject matter and frame. At times, it is very difficult and there are shoots I have to this day where I need to force myself to slow down and stop. To think and be deliberate.
What cameras and equipment do you use in your work?
I’ve switched from Sony, to Canon, to Fuji, to Nikon which is what I currently use. I’m happiest with Nikon, but who knows, that could change.
What role does post-processing play in your work, and how do you approach editing your photos?
Colors and tones are very important to me. I try to be deliberate with both before, during, and after photographing.
How do you come up with innovative photography ideas?
Ideas come to me by way of books, music, tv shows– everything outside of photography, for me, ends up relating back to photography and inspiring me in one way or another.
What is your favorite subject to photograph, and why?
There is so much joy in photographing people. It is a privilege to be able to photograph someone from different walks of life, perhaps working in a different industry, where I am able to drop in and learn something new and connect with someone different from me.
Part 2 is Coming Soon!
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The post Behind the Lens: Exclusive Interview with New York Photographer Evelyn Freja | Part 1 appeared first on World Art News.
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