JOHAN VAN DER KEUKEN
JULY FOURTEEN
Published by Van Zoetendaal Publishers, 2010
Booksize 19.5 x 27 cm
Pages 64
Softcover
Languages, French, English
It came to light that, besides the famous photo of the dancers taken on 14 July 1958, Johan van der Keuken's archives contain a great many negatives from his Paris period that were never published. These rolls were shot on the same occasion as the widely known print and as an ensemble they depict an enthralling dance scene. If we view the photos chronologically we can observe people entering the field of view: young women wearing floral-print skirts and their hair bedecked with scarves, older couples, men from North Africa and young children with their parents. The people gather around the dance floor and the music strikes up.
The people chat, peripheral extras become leading players, a man with a ladder walks across the frame, a car drives around the corner. Some start to dance, while others watch from the sidelines. We see girlfriends dancing together, older couples and children, too. Chance passers-by become new dancing partners.
Later on Johan van de Keuken selected the most beautiful of these negatives, the photo that for him encapsulated this event in a single image. For this book we have opted for a different approach, incorporating what surrounds that particular shot, what went before and what came after, bringing this session to a close. This reveals the 'cinematic' quality of the scene, the movement it embodies. It is as if the photographer dances along with the twirling public.
Publisher's statement.
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It turned out that, in addition to the famous photo of the dancers taken on 14 July 1958, Johan van der Keuken's archive contains a large number of negatives from his Paris period that have never been published. These rolls were taken on the same occasion as the widely known print and, taken together, they depict an exciting dance scene. If we look at the photos in chronological order, we can observe the people who enter the field of view: young women wearing floral skirts and headscarves with their hair, older couples, men from North Africa and young children with their parents. People gather around the dance floor and the music starts.
People talk, peripheral extras become main actors, a man with a ladder crosses the frame, a car drives around the corner. Some start dancing, while others watch from the wings. We see girlfriends dancing together, older couples and children too. Passersby become new dance partners by chance.
Later, Johan van de Keuken selected the most beautiful of these negatives, the photo that, for him, summed up this event in a single image. For this book, we took a different approach, incorporating what surrounds this particular shot, what preceded and what followed, putting a full stop to this session. This reveals the "cinematic" quality of the scene, the movement it embodies. It is as if the photographer is dancing with the twirling audience.
Publisher's text.