Mounted. Signed in pencil on mount recto.
Illustrated: Bouqueret, Christian. Daniel Masclet: Photographe Critique Theoricien. Paris: Marval, 2001, p. 69, pl. 54 (variant).
These photographs by Masclet are believed to be of the French actress, playwright, and novelist, Odette Joyeaux, made very early in her career, most likely while she was still studying dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. It is remarkable how she looks more alive with her eyes closed. With her eyes open she resembles a mannequin, and the photograph becomes surreal. The two together allude to the Surrealists’ dedication to unleashing the expression of the subconscious, for them, a state of being beyond merely awake or asleep.