KEN van SICKLE

While studying in France after the Korean War, a friend told Ken van Sickle, “Frankly, I find your artwork to be superficial, on the other hand I think your photos are exceptional.”  Van Sickle’s photography is anything but superficial.  Paris is a frequently photographed city, yet as a student in 1955, van Sickle managed to capture both the romantic and imperfect aspects of the city with his 35 mm Leica.

His photograph entitled “La Dame aux Bijoux” is a representative example of his work in Paris.  Van Sickle has captured the typical glamour of the city, a woman adorn in jewels sitting in a cafe; however, he veers from the stereotypical image, instead offering a candid shot of the lonely, jaded side of the woman’s life.  Van Sickle preferred to capture what he saw, rather than pose the subjects or add additional lighting.  In this way, he captures the true emotion of Paris.

Van Sickle’s Paris 1955 collection is reminiscent of the work of French cinematographer François Truffaut, who began his work around the same time as van Sickle did.  Like Truffaut, van Sickle creates gritty, black and white images, the shots grainy and often unexpected.  Truffaut is particularly known for the final shot in what was perhaps his best-know work, Four Hundred Blows; in this shot, the actor looks directly at the camera, giving the viewer a sense of camaraderie with the subject.  Likewise, van Sickle uses a similar technique in many of his pieces, including “Garçons Wall” and “Peanut Man.”  “Garçons” particularly reminds me of the rowdy boys in Four Hundred Blows, with a similar close, gritty image of the Parisian youth.