Johan van der Keuken’s Mortal Paris (French: Paris Mortel), features photographs taken between 1956 and 1958 during his studies at the film academy in Paris, marking a transitional moment in his artistic career. Published in 1963, this project emerged as Van der Keuken began to shift focus from photography to filmmaking, bridging his early documentary style with a cinematic sensibility.
The socio-political context heavily informs Mortal Paris. The photographs capture a Paris shaped by post-war reconstruction and societal unrest during the Algerian War (1954-1962). Van der Keuken’s focus on the working-class neighborhoods and marginalized communities reflects an empathetic and critical perspective. He incorporates photographs of ordinary Parisians, often captured in moments of quietude or solitude. The project aligns with the anti-formalist documentary ethos of the Underground Camera group, of which Van der Keuken was a member, emphasizing photography’s role in exposing socio-economic inequalities by capturing the truth of their time and prioritizing content over artistic embellishment.
Visually, Mortal Paris adopts a stark black-and-white aesthetic. The natural lighting emphasizes the urban landscape’s textures and contours through pronounced contrasts and shadows, while night scenes illuminated by artificial light convey a somber tone, reflecting the city’s layered character. Van der Keuken’s use of a compact 35mm camera plays a crucial role in the project’s narrative, enabling him to discreetly and spontaneously capture candid urban moments, contributing to the cinematic flow of the work.
Mortal Paris received recognition as an important work in the evolution of Dutch photography, bridging the humanist documentary tradition with more experimental and subjective approaches that gained prominence in the 1960s. Its influence extends to the broader street photography genre, resonating with contemporaneous works by photographers such as Robert Frank and William Klein, who similarly challenged traditional urban representations.
