Avonturen op het land

by Ed van der Elsken

Ed van der Elsken travelled extensively.But in 1971 he lives on a small farm in a polder in Edam and discovered how exciting it is to observe the seasons and live close to nature. The pictures show his personal experience with horses and peacocks, with his neighbors and the cattle market of Purmerend. Along with this book he made the film for the VPRO TV (74 min).

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) - the enfant terrible of Dutch photography - was a talented photographer and filmmaker who expressed his encounters with people through photos, photobooks and films across the span of 40 years. Roaming through cities such as Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Amsterdam or travelling through Africa and Japan, he was primarily drawn to take pictures of striking characters. His first photobook Love on the Left Bank was published in 1956, instantly making him world-famous. Some twenty photobooks followed. He also made several movies for television, mostly about subjects touching upon his personal life.

Ed van der Elsken was born in Amsterdam in 1925. From 1950 to 1954, he lived and worked in Paris. During this period, he lived with Ata Kandó and her 3 children. He then moved back to Amsterdam and lived there from 1954 to 1971. He frequently traveled for his work, for instance to Bagara, Central Africa in 1957. In the years 1959-1960, he embarked on an extensive trip around the world with his second wife, Gerda van der Veen. Shortly after this trip, their two children Tinelou and Daan were born. During his many travels, Ed van der Elsken made colour photo reportages for the monthly magazine Avenue.

From 1971 until the end of his life, he lived in the countryside near Edam with Anneke Hilhorst and their son John. Throughout this period, he often worked in Amsterdam and traveled to Japan. In 1988 he was diagnosed with cancer. He died in 1990.

Reviews

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed van der Elsken was een bekende en beroemde fotograaf. In 1970 verhuisde hij van Amsterdam naar het Noord-Hollandse platteland, waar hij te midden van de natuur ging leven. Hij fokte onder meer paarden. In 1980 kwam zijn fotorapportage ‘avonturen op het land’ uit, met kleurenfoto’s en zwartwit-foto’s van paarden, koeien, schapen, boeren en het leven op het land, te midden van water en modder. Het zijn schitterende foto’s die je dicht bij het Noord-Hollands landschap brengen. De wind, de regen en de stank voel je natuurlijk niet direct, maar het boek is toch heel fysiek en daardoor indrukwekkend. Je proeft het ruige landschap en leert ons land daarmee op een andere manier kennen. In korte teksten geeft Van der Elsken de nodige achtergrondinformatie.
Trefwoorden: noord-Holland, fotografie