Tableau Vivant
A tableau vivant is a French term that has no real English equivalent. A close approximation is "a silent and motionless group of people arranged to represent a scene or incident."
Let me illustrate for movie lovers. Do you remember the classic Audrey Hepburn scene at the Royal Ascot racecourse in the classic musical, "My Fair Lady"? The action is stopped and the sound of galloping horses is heard, before Eliza Doolittle shocks the Lords, ladies and gentlemen with her uncouth cheer.
Now I can assure you there were no actual Lords at the Launceston Cup yesterday, and the closest we got to the Royals was the Governor of Tasmania. But I do believe for one instance we got our Tableau Vivant. Here it is! How do you like the guy in the mirrored sunglasses giving me THE stare?
A final word about Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986), regarded as the greatest amateur photographer of the 20th century and an early user of colour. Lartigue loved scenes just like this one, and I encourage you to get a look at a copy of his greatest collection of colour shots, "Lartigue: Life in Color" (Abrams, 2015).
Tableau Vivant
A tableau vivant is a French term that has no real English equivalent. A close approximation is "a silent and motionless group of people arranged to represent a scene or incident."
Let me illustrate for movie lovers. Do you remember the classic Audrey Hepburn scene at the Royal Ascot racecourse in the classic musical, "My Fair Lady"? The action is stopped and the sound of galloping horses is heard, before Eliza Doolittle shocks the Lords, ladies and gentlemen with her uncouth cheer.
Now I can assure you there were no actual Lords at the Launceston Cup yesterday, and the closest we got to the Royals was the Governor of Tasmania. But I do believe for one instance we got our Tableau Vivant. Here it is! How do you like the guy in the mirrored sunglasses giving me THE stare?
A final word about Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986), regarded as the greatest amateur photographer of the 20th century and an early user of colour. Lartigue loved scenes just like this one, and I encourage you to get a look at a copy of his greatest collection of colour shots, "Lartigue: Life in Color" (Abrams, 2015).