A photo is ultimately not just an image transferred onto paper. It is an assembly of signs captured in a given situation. The artist intervenes to highlight the meaning of these signs. This is the expression of their talent.
Daniel Rothbart is a regular at the Depardieu Gallery; this is his sixth exhibition on the walls of this gallery.
Semiotic Situations, to look at the image or the photo? No! Not just that.
The artist has inserted into photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries signs, symbols, in fact, his sculptures and mobiles. These old photos: greeting cards, silent film artists, Hollywood photos, stars like Austrian-born Heidi Lemaar.
Other subjects are tackled, such as biblical scenes with David, Herod, and the first American peplums. Napoleon, everything blends into a delightful patchwork.
We leap merrily across centuries and evoke a bullfight. Still photos from before the First World War. A video accompanies the exhibition where we discover Daniel Rothbart’s installations in Michigan and Germany. “Semiotic Situations” prompts us to decipher the photos, to appreciate them better with the embedded sculptures and mobiles, giving them a different field and depth.
Daniel Rothbart is somewhat of a magician, an illusionist, and certainly a great artist. These photos of the past are cleared of the dust of time and yet, although over a century old, they are modern and relevant with this plus, this genius touch of a visual artist.
Daniel Rothbart is exhibiting concurrently at the Château de la Napoule. An exhibition to see until May 27 at the Galerie Depardieu.
Thierry Jan
