Marie-Jeanne Leenaert

Le doigt Mon peneu

Marie-Jeanne LEENAERT

I was brought into contact with photography by Jacques Vilet and Baudouin Lotin at " Ateliers Malou " around 1975. There was a technical initiation of course, but above all an education to the image and visual encounters with the masters of photography: Bill Brandt, Boubat, Cartier Bresson, Fontana, William Klein, Lucien Clergue, Lartigue, Newton...

I tried to get a sense of their "writing with light" language through several participations in the " Rencontres internationales de la photographie d'Arles ". I took part in several workshops, amongst others with Fulvio Roiter (Venice photographs) Hosoe Eiko, Christian Vogt (Vogue), Hervé Cloaghen (Magnum) and William Klein... All of them made me aware that reality has numerous facets and changes at every single moment: fabulous, astonishing, disturbing, cruel, funny. That's probably the reason why I never use special effect tricks & techniques, nor any other darkroom alteration.

It had the opportunity to photograph the Christian Lacroix collection - a magic moment, and a great pleasure, but also requiring absolute accuracy! For several years, I have been making the press photographs for the " Théâtre de l'Esprit frappeur ".

I exposed at:
Several Brussels galleries
The Schaerbeek City Hall
The Biennial Festival of Huy
The Month of Photography in the Brussels centre "City II".

Several photographs were published in the Press (Le Soir, D.H., Vif, Focale, Knack...) through " Global Pictures " and " Iso Press ". I travel a lot: Nepal, Thailand, N.Y.,Indonesia, Africa, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Moscow... I am more interested in people and city life than in landscape. And I always end up going back to Amsterdam, where I find the most changing and brilliant light.

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