Jean Massart: Les aspects de la Végétation en Belgique
In: Photobook Belge 1865 - now, Hannibal/FOMU, 2019, p. 59.
Between 1907 and 1912, natural scientist and amateur photographer Jean Massart published five works on Belgian geobotany, including Les Aspects de la Végétation en Belgique. Initially, this publication was to consist of five volumes, offering a photographic record of indigenous plant life and the natural landscape, divided into the different geographical districts of Belgium. Owing to the outbreak of the First World War, only two volumes appeared, published by the Belgian Botanic Garden and the Ministry of Agriculture in editions of 400 copies each. The first volume, published in 1908, covers 'The Coastal and Alluvial Districts', the second 'The Flanders and Kempen Districts' (1912).
Together, the two portfolios contain 166 didactic plates that seek to illustrate as objectively as possible the most important landscape types and their vegetation within the discussed regions. The individual plates follow a fixed pattern: in the centre is a large-format photograph, into which a smaller image is sometimes inserted. The exact location, geographical coordinates, compass direction and dates of the recording are found in the white border above the print.
Massart photographed mainly overview landscapes, paying attention to the interaction between man and his natural environment. By recording various stages of the agricultural process or of small interventions, the images often acquire a narrative character. This narrative aspect becomes even stronger when Massart photographs the same location at different times (plate 62, vol. II) to illustrate the influence of the seasons or an evolution in human activity.
The few human beings who appear sporadically in the landscape (including Massart himself on plate 65, vol. II), serve mainly to indicate the scale of the environment. With Les Aspects, Massart hoped not only to share his research with the widest possible audience, he also wanted to make a clear distinction between the scientific and artistic inclinations of the medium of photography. This does not mean, however, that his landscape images lack aesthetic qualities. Massart's formal choices, including his carefully thought-out and consistently highlighted compositions, are always in the service of the documentary message and scientific ambitions of the project.
