NATKIN (Marcel). — The Art of Seeing in Photography. - Lot 199

NATKIN (Marcel). — The Art of Seeing in Photography. Paris, Éditions Tiranty, 1948. In-4 (approx. 28 × 22 cm), later binding in green half-cloth with corner pieces, marbled paper covers, title label on the spine; original illustrated cover preserved, 73 pp., lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photographs, several of which are full-page. Second edition, revised and considerably expanded, of the work that Marcel Natkin had originally published in 1935 under the title The Art of Seeing and Photography. Bibliographic catalogs confirm this 1948 Tiranty edition. A particularly interesting work in the history of French photographic literature: Natkin focuses less on the technique of taking photographs than on the construction of the photographic gaze. He successively addresses pure photography, composition, light, depth, movement, the expression of grandeur, personality, and nature, contrasting aesthetic principles with photographic examples. This edition is illustrated with 32 photographs, notably by Laure Albin-Guillot, Pierre Boucher, Brassaï, Robert Doisneau, and Emmanuel Sougez, reproduced in heliogravure. It is significantly less common than the original 1935 edition; a specialized bookseller describes it as a “rare expanded reprint.” A hardcover copy with the original cover intact. The binding is sturdy; there is some rubbing and minor signs of wear on the cloth and covers; the original cover shows some rubbing; the interior is in good overall condition with a few visible signs of age. A fine copy suitable for both study and collection.