In his latest work, Tomas van Houtryve sets himself a difficult task: to create photographs that reflect a period of American history that does not exist.
There is no photographic record of the southwest before 1848, the end of the Mexican-American War. Daguerreotypes were invented in Paris in 1839 but did not become popular in America until several years later. The end of the war ended Mexico’s dominance over more than 500,000 square miles of territory in the southwestern United States, ending the rich culture that flourished in the region for many years. culture that is not reflected in American history textbooks. This gap in the history books prompted van Houtryve to document this culture retroactively.
He did extensive research before beginning, in 2017, to photograph south of the original Mexican border, which today includes California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. Texas, as well as parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. What he found only heightened his interest in the region’s history: Citizens were granted citizenship and the right to vote 100 years before the United States passed the Indian citizenship from 1924, and slavery was abolished in Mexico 41 years before it ended in the United States. Under Mexican rule, people of African descent held prominent positions in the government of California.
Van Houtryve used a large-format field camera from the 19th century, which imposes the formality of portraits from another era. The camera and its use of the wet collodion glass plate process reinforce a sense of story.
His portraits are carefully researched and have historical relevance – all of his subjects are descendants of the region’s first Mexican inhabitants. Calm and dignified, the images pay homage to Nadar, whose powerful portraits are admired by Van Houtryve. He focuses on the eyes of his subjects, giving meaning to their inner life. It presents the work in the form of diptychs that juxtapose portraits with romantic landscapes, reflecting an intimate bond between man and nature.
Van Houtryve, a Belgian national, graduated in philosophy from the University of Colorado, where he later studied photojournalism and fine art photography. A combination of historical research, journalistic rigor and a commitment to truth enabled him to complete this exceptional project, which Radius Books will publish later this year. His images capture part of the story and create a more nuanced story of Mexicans in America than the divisive images we watch on the news today.
Tomas van Houtryve – Lines and lines
May 16 to June 29, 2019
Baudoin Lebon Gallery
8 rue Charles Francois-Dupuis
75003 Paris