The fall of Calais took place in 1347 after eleven months of siege by the English army, thus ending one of the darkest episodes of the Hundred Years War. According to the written account of Jean Froissart, court poet and historian to Philippa of Hainault, King Edward III’s wife, the English King demanded the sacrifice of six of the most prominent Burghers of Calais in exchange for the lives of the rest of the city’s population. The six noble volunteers were ordered to strip to their breeches and walk humbly from the city gates to the King, bringing with them the keys to the city, as a symbol of total capitulation. In Froissart’s seminal chronicle however the lives of all six Burghers were saved through Philippa’s intervention.
Commissioned by the City of Calais in 1885 to create a monument honoring the six heroes, Auguste Rodin gave shape to the most famous representation of the historical event, solidifying its place in our collective consciousness. Based on his literal interpretation of Froissart’s account, the sculptor reveals the Burghers’ sacrifice, stressing the conflicted feelings of resignation and pain that might have consumed them as they made their way toward the enemy.
In this series of large format images Watkinson initiates a compelling dialogue with the texture of the bronze, the fluidity of the lines as well as the intensity of the faces and gestures of Rodin’s characters. Deconstructing the group of six Burghers, Watkinson focuses with expressionistic acuteness on the depth of human emotions that the sculptor infused into his subjects: fear, despair, suffering, but also valor and determination in confronting the fate that they believed was awaiting them. The tight and frontal close-ups captured by the photographer conjure up with stunning affinity the sculptor’s powerful creative act.
Sample Photos
Gordon Watkinson
Gordon Watkinson is an artist/photographer born in 1964 in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA). Watkinson borrowed a camera for a photography class he took at the age of 24 while attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. After completing the course his professor saw enough in his work that he arranged for him to begin working as a photographic assistant. Following the initial years assisting photographers in Virginia and Texas, Watkinson began his career as a commercial photographer working for a broad range of clients from the fields of advertising, architecture, design, and fashion. Over the years he developed a strong affinity for 20th century art and design, which has shaped his visual approach and nourished his original passion for furniture and all things design – drawing inspiration from the work of architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, furniture designers Marcel Breuer, Eileen Gray, and Charlotte Perriand, as much as from photographers and artists as diverse as Horst P. Horst, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Ed Ruscha, Edward Hopper, or graphic designer Saul Bass. Watkinson offers viewers the essence of his subjects, creating narrative sequences of images that focus on structure, materiality, and form.
Watkinson has lectured internationally, most notably at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo/Norway, and at the Bauhaus-University in Weimar/Germany. His work is in the permanent collection of the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt/Germany and in various private collections.
Catherine Chevillot
Director of the Musée Rodin, Paris
Hélène Pinet
Curator of Photography at the Musée Rodin, Paris
Jean-Marie Moeglin
Professor of Medieval History at the Sorbonne-University, Paris
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Traveling Exhibition
Photographs by Gordon Watkinson:
7 to 8 archival pigment prints mounted on aluminum
Size: 42 x 58 inches / 106.7 x 147.3 cm
Disk with texts & graphics
Space Requirements: approx. 50 running feet / 15 running meter
Security: Limited
Participation Fee: Upon Request
Limited Edition
Originally conceived by Gordon Watkinson for fundraising purposes, this project will
also be produced in an edition of 12 portfolios.
Each of the portfolios will be comprised of:
Photographs by Gordon Watkinson:
7 to 8 archival pigment prints (unmounted & unframed)
Each of the prints will be signed & numbered by the artist
Size: 42 x 58 inches / 106.7 x 147.3 cm
Disk with texts & graphics, as well as the artist’s recommendation for the mounting of
the photographs
Each of these exclusive sets can remain in the museum’s permanent collection or be purchased by a patron.
Price: Upon Request
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Foto+Synthesis offers following educational opportunities with photographer Gordon Watkinson:
Developing a Personal Vision: Narrative & Photography
2 day-workshop for students (junior high to graduate level)
Participants will learn how to use a series of photographs to illustrate a personal vision while developing an awareness of the art of the visual story.
Anatomy of a Photo Project
1 day-seminar for university photography & art students, or/and general audience
Participants will learn how to develop a photographic project, from conception through planning for its realization in book or/and exhibition form.
Guided tours of the exhibition with Gordon Watkinson
Guided tours of the exhibition with photographer Gordon Watkinson for targeted audiences (general, children, high school students.)
This program can be expanded according to the wishes of the hosting venue.
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