Images That Persuade
M Le Magazine du Monde
M Le Magazine du Monde (Le Monde) is a daily French Newspaper. Le Monde covers French news in addition to economics, politics and culture.
Le Monde had previously commissioned French photographer Elliot Verdier to document the historical landmark L'Arc de Triomphe in 'Wrapping the Arc de Triomphe'.
A temporary art installation, planned and designed by Christo and Jean Claude, involved wrapping L'Arc de Triomphe for two weeks in 2021. This installation had been planned by the two artists since the 1960s and was able to be reignited during the pandemic.
The reportage, shot by Verdier, documents the process of the historical landmark being using portraiture of the workers, wide angle shots of L'Arc de Triomphe and detail shots of the materials being used.
The wide angle and detail shots of showing the process of constructing the installation were the images that intrigued me the most.
A wider perspective allows us to see the full picture (pardon the pun) which gives us context as to what is occurring in the scene. This also shows the scale as to which this installation is on. The 14 million euro project was one of the biggest projects that Christo and Jean Claude had been apart of and it shows through the use of a wide angle shot.
Workers suspended on L'Arc Triomphe offers a story within itself. The bright orange workwear contrasts beautifully against the material of the wrapping whilst complimenting the underside of the wrapping. This harmonious composition feels like a homage to the soldiers in which L'Arc was erected to pay homage to as construction workers are co-operatively working together to achieve a common goal - much like soldiers in war. There's a flow to both of the images whereby the ripples in the wrapping and lines to secure the workers creates a gentle feel which is oppostional to the original intention and meaning of L'Arc Triomphe.
Out of all the templates that I had seen on our brief, this one to me stood out the most.
Firstly, the lighting for each shot is impeccably timed and compliments each frame respectively.
