Paul Citroen
Paul Citroen was born in 1896. In 1919 Paul began his studies at the Bauhaus where he met Umbo (Otto Umbehr). Umbo was a pioneering photojournalist known for his compelling portraits. Paul undertook experimental work making photo-montages of which Metropolis is his best known.
I became aware of Paul’s portrait paintings in a gallery in my home town, Gouda NL. I contacted Paul and to my delight he agreed to have a series of portraits made in his studio. Paul’s studio was spacious with tall windows, ideal for taking photographs with available light.
Unexpectedly, his friend Umbo visited Paul. Umbo became the model for a new portrait painting. I photographed the gradual development this portrait from the first charcoal stroke on the canvas to the final ‘first draft’ of the painting.
Paul Citroen took a great interest in photography. When I worked for Leiden University’s photo collections, I printed from Paul’s original black and white negatives.
The photographs created in Paul’s studio are in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in The Hague, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Leiden University photo collections in the Netherlands.
All the black & white original images are printed on fibre based photographic papers and selenium toned by Yoke Matze. The photography is also by Yoke.
I became aware of Paul’s portrait paintings in a gallery in my home town, Gouda NL. I contacted Paul and to my delight he agreed to have a series of portraits made in his studio. Paul’s studio was spacious with tall windows, ideal for taking photographs with available light.
Unexpectedly, his friend Umbo visited Paul. Umbo became the model for a new portrait painting. I photographed the gradual development this portrait from the first charcoal stroke on the canvas to the final ‘first draft’ of the painting.
Paul Citroen took a great interest in photography. When I worked for Leiden University’s photo collections, I printed from Paul’s original black and white negatives.
The photographs created in Paul’s studio are in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in The Hague, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Leiden University photo collections in the Netherlands.
All the black & white original images are printed on fibre based photographic papers and selenium toned by Yoke Matze. The photography is also by Yoke.
