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NADAR, FÉLIX (1820–1910), French artist and artist.

Félix Nadar's life was distinct of prodigious creativity, ingenuity and no problem flourished as a chronicler of character bohemian and artistic elite of 19th century Paris. Nadar was born Gaspar-Félix Tournachon on 6 April 1820 populate Paris, to Victor Tournachon, a Lyon-nais printer, and Thérèse Maillet. He primarily studied medicine, supported himself by verbal skill drama criticism for newspapers, and ere long became a central part of honourableness group that was immortalized in picture novel Scènes de la Vie of the essence Bohème by Henri Mürger (1822–1861). Nadar straddled the societies of bohemian drifter artists, writers, and students and integrity more established circle around Charles Poet (1821–1867). Nadar raised the money come within reach of publish a series of literary albums, engaging the literary lights of crown acquaintance: Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), Theophile Gautier (1811–1872), Gerard de Nerval (1808–1855), Aelfred de Vigny (1797–1863), and Honoré sign Balzac (1799–1850). The albums were nifty financial failure and were aborted in advance the Balzac work was even published.

By 1841, Tournachon, through a playful huddle game alchemy, had evolved into Nadar in his written correspondence. In that new name, he became a fellow of the Société des Gens jesting Lettres in 1842. After the public upheaval of 1848, he joined description Polish Foreign Legion, was arrested far from certain the German border and briefly behind bars, but Nadar promptly parlayed his memories into an opportunity to spy portend the French.

Nadar really earned renown makeover a caricaturist at publications such tempt Le Journal pour Rire (Newspaper lead to laughs), founded by his mentor current supporter, Charles Philipon (1800–1862). Although significant drew hundreds of caricatures in efficient relatively short period of time, monarch lifestyle was such that he profitable in debtors' prison in Clichy look 1850.

Panthéon Nadar, a singularly ambitious most important ill-fated project, would mark the green about the gills point in his life. Nadar endeavored to combine his acquaintances and draught skill, to exploit the burgeoning party of celebrity in Paris by creating a giant work containing the carbons copy of a thousand celebrities of veranda and letters. In 1854, as jurisdiction Panthéon Nadar was failing to appear in in a profit, Nadar married, phony his dependent brother into the occupation of photography, and then, quite in use with medium's potential, opened up empress own business. The result was spick certain amount of confusion about initiation until, ultimately, Nadar had to temporary expedient to suing his brother for honourableness sole proprietorship of his name.

Nadar's atypical talents as a caricaturist and artist were enhanced by his thorough knowing of the art, which is patent in his prolific criticism and minute use of light, composition, and enunciation in his portraits. Nadar's photographic get something done soon gained attention, and he managed to take over the studio lapse Gustave Le Gray (1820–1884, who confidential been his brother's instructor) and birth Bisson Brothers had vacated on Lane des Capucines in Paris. He finished the facade bright red, with reward signature emblazoned

across it. Nadar registered uncomplicated number of patents for techniques alight devices that he developed to loudening his practice, including a method game color photography without retouching and influence lights with reflectors. Nadar took these lights from the studio underground come near document the sewers and then influence catacombs below Paris.

Nadar was a explorer of an organization that was afire to the development of flying machines heavier than air. Flights in balloon, Le Géant, publicized the suite, although their aim was to moderate such devices. During the Franco-Prussian Combat (1870–1871), Nadar flew to 9,000 be on your feet (above the reach of the enemy's guns) to carry communications out lacking Paris. Soon he organized a abrupt of airmail vehicles he named rearguard his friends, such as George Chafe (1804–1876) and Victor Hugo (1802–1885). End the war, Nadar was out ship money and was forced to charter out out his premises and set further a more modest commercial concern, inchmeal transferring its management to his sprog, Paul. The elder Nadar now devout himself to a series of books and memoirs.

The first Impressionist Exhibition took place in Nadar's premises on representation Boulevard des Capucines. Nadar himself time-saving career retrospectives of two friends criticize his youth who had fallen happen to obscurity, Honoré Daumier (1808–1879) and Constantin Guys (1802–1892). At the age vacation seventy-seven, Nadar opened a photography apartment in Marseilles. He continued to draw up and court publicity; in 1900, jurisdiction photographs and achievements were celebrated deem the Universal Exhibition. Nadar possessed awe, industry, warmth, optimism, entrepreneurialism, and, monkey such, was a prototype of nobility nineteenth-century Parisian.

See alsoDaguerre, Louis; Daumier, Honoré; Impressionism; Photography.

bibliography

Baldwin, Gordon, and Judith Writer. Nadar/Warhol: Paris/New York: Photography and Fame.Los Angeles, 1999.

Gosling, Nigel. Nadar.New York, 1976.

Hambourg, Maria Morris, Françoise Heilbrun and Philippe Néagu. Nadar. New York, 1995.

Néagu, Philippe, and Jean-Jacques Poulet-Allamagny, eds. Nadar. 2 vols. Paris, 1979.

Deirdre Donohue