Sea Anemone

Jean Painlevé was a pioneer of scientific cinema in France whose documentary films explored the otherworldly quality of underwater life and were embraced by the surrealists, though he remained independent of the movement. In films created for a general audience, Painlevé attempted to bridge the gap between scientific film and artistic documentary, imbuing both with a sense of enchantment. The avant-garde photographer and cinematographer Eli Lotar worked closely with Painlevé as a camera operator on several of films, including Crabes et Crevettes (1929), from which these images are derived. Here, a shrimp’s tail is magnified and transformed by the camera’s lens into a stylized modernist abstraction. A close-up view of a sea anemone emphasizes the mesmerizing beauty and fundamentally alien quality of invertebrate life. Both photographs were published in the journal Art et Décoration (January-June 1931) accompanied by the essay “L’Art Sous-Marin” by the art critic Jean Cassou.