Toile d’araignée (spider web), 1972
Toned gelatin silver print, edition 8 /32
7 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches
Signature under image
Fleur de carotte sauvage (Wild carrot flower), 1971
Gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
Edition 6/24
5 1/8 x 7 1/8 in. (13 x 18 cm)
Signature under image
Denis Brihat’s technique of photographic engraving, or grignotage (literally, “nibbling” or “whittling away”) is adapted from a 19th-century formula in which an acid, such as hydrogen peroxide or copper chloride, is used to soften the gelatin silver emulsion on the paper; this has the greatest effect in those areas of the image with the highest silver content, which are the darkest areas of the image.
In Fleur de carotte Sauvage (Wild carrot flower), Brihat has most likely photographed his subject against a black background, which has been transformed into a delicate, matte white surface by the grignotage process. The process has also slightly lifted the emulsion off the paper in the darkest areas of the flower, particularly around its edges; Brihat has then allowed the emulsion to settle back down onto the paper. The result is a three-dimensional print in which the outline of the flower is slightly elevated against the rest of the image, and appears to glitter as it catches the light; the effect is enhanced by the fact that a fine black line, a remnant of the dark background, remains, and accentuates the flower’s form.
Petit chardon bleu, 1970
Toned gelatin silver print
Edition 4/32
5 5/8 x 4 3/8 inches
Signature under image
Genévrier (Juniper), 1972
Gelatin silver print with photo engraving
Edition 17/32
7 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
Signature under image
Petit chardon (small thistle), 1970
Gelatin silver print with photo engraving
Edition 25/32
5 1/8 x 4 inches
Signature under image recto
Petites Herbes, 1970
Gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
Image 5 3/4 x 4 3/8 in. (14.6 x 11.1 cm)
Mount 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.9 cm)
Edition 18 of 32, signature under image
Denis Brihat’s technique of photographic engraving, or grignotage (literally, “nibbling” or “whittling away”) is adapted from a 19th-century formula in which an acid, such as hydrogen peroxide or copper chloride, is used to soften the gelatin silver emulsion on the paper; this has the greatest effect in those areas of the image with the highest silver content, which are the darkest areas of the image. In Petites Herbes, this technique has resulted in a washing away of the darkest areas of the image, leaving a print composed largely of highly textured mid-tones. As in Brihat’s photograph Lichen, the subject in Petites Herbes appears almost abstract, as the interplay between the grignotage process and careful toning places the emphasis strongly on texture and form.
Fleur (Flower), 1972
Toned gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
Edition 16/32
Image: 7 9/16 x 5 5/8 in. (19.2 x 14.3 cm)
Mount: 15 3/8 x 12 1/8 in. (39.1 x 30.8 cm)
Signature under image
Lichen vert (Green lichen), 1970
Gelatin silver print with photo engraving
Image: 4 1/2 x 5 11/16 inches
Signature on recto under the image
Graine de salsifis sauvage (Wild salsify seed), 1972
Toned gelatin silver print
Edition 27/32
7 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches
Signature on recto under the image
Clématite (clematis), 1970
Toned gelatin silver print
Edition 18/32 (printed 2003)
4 3/8 x 5 5/8 inches
Signature on recto under the image
Ecorce de bouleau (Birch bark), 1972
Toned gelatin silver print
Edition 28/32
7 9/16 x 5 5/8 inches
Signature on recto under image
Lichens sur un rocher, 1981
Gelatin silver print, mounted
Edition 14/20
7 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches
Signature under image
Pine Tree in Ireland, 1997
Gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
Edition 5/6, signature on verso
15 x 19 1/2 in. (38.1 x 49.5 cm)
Mélèzes à Valprévert (Larches in Valprévert), 1988
Gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Signature on verso
Denis Brihat’s technique of photographic engraving, or grignotage (literally, “nibbling” or “whittling away”) is adapted from a 19th-century formula in which hydrogen peroxide or copper chloride is used to soften and dissolve the gelatin in the paper’s gelatin-silver emulsion. The darkest areas, or the areas with the most silver, are most affected, whereas lighter areas and half-tones remain relatively unaffected.
Brihat uses grignotage most often in images of forests and grasses, where the process highlights and accentuates the varied outlines, tones, and textures of overlapping stems, branches, and leaves, and gives the print a strong sense of depth. In Mélèzes à Valprévert (Larches in Valprévert), 1988, the lifting and settling of the softened emulsion gives a slight halo to the leaves of the tree and a softness to the image overall. In this print, Brihat may have also used carbon to enhance the areas with the highest silver content, giving added richness to the trunk and limbs of the tree.
Dans le Marais Poitevin (In the Marais Poitevin), 1986
Gelatin silver print with photographic engraving
23 1/2 x 19 1/4 in. (60 x 48.9 cm)
Edition 1/3, printed 1991
Signed and dated on recto and verso
Les herbes (grass), 1986
Gelatin silver print with photo engraving
Edition 3/10
Signature on verso
11 3/4 x 15 5/8 inches
Nailya Alexander Gallery is excited to present the special online exhibition Seeing Nature, in honor of the birthday of Denis Brihat, who turns 94 this month. Born in Paris in 1928, Brihat stands today as one of the last and most significant artists of his generation. Brihat is renowned worldwide for both his extraordinary eye and his remarkable prints, whose vibrant hues and textures are achieved entirely by his own hand and through darkroom techniques of his own invention.
Seeing Nature features primarily the artist’s small and delicate photographs of nature: flowers, trees, and grass, found in the area of his home on the Plateau des Claparèdes in the Luberon region of Provence. Brihat draws wonder and grace from a humble thistle, makes a spider web sparkle like the night sky, and renders carrot flowers as elegant as a crystal chandelier. These prints have exquisite texture and constitute the finest examples of Brihat’s work with photographic engraving, a technique that enhances the areas of a print with the highest silver content and adds not only subtle three-dimensionality but also substance and depth to the image.
Some images verge on abstraction, such as Les Herbes (1986), Lichens sur un rocher (1981), Ecorce de bouleau (1972), and Lichen vert (1970). In the dazzling photograph Genévrier (1972) myriad star-like juniper needles glitter with silver. Through his magical vision and his masterful craftsmanship, Brihat shows us how to see nature differently, expanding our perspective to include a profound appreciation of the natural world.
Denis Brihat’s photographs can be found in the collections of public and private institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Musée des Beaux Arts, Neuchâtel; the Musée Cantini, Marseille; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Centre Pompidou, the European House of Photography, and the National Foundation for Contemporary Art, Paris. In 1987, he was awarded the Grand Prix de la Photographie de la Ville de Paris.
