“Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.”
-Nietzsche.
In the times of internet memes, viral images, and gifs that we can find instantly, humor has changed radically. We live in a period where our smiles are no longer a coordinated contraction of 15 facial muscles. Today, we show laughter through emoticons or onomatopoeias while our face remains unaffected.
That’s why, René Maltête’s photographs are still valid more than 50 years later.
The cheeky voyeur
The images of this French photographer spring up genuine smiles in the viewers while revealing those little surprises of everyday life. The natural surrealism the camera captures demands an eye trained in the art of irony and eccentricity.
Some possess a spontaneous air that is almost natural, while others seem strategically orchestrated, but in this odd photojournalism and artistic activity, René Maltête succeeded in leaving something thoughtful, philosophical, and humorous in each one of his images.
Sometimes these images use puzzling fine gags that look like based on New Yorker illustrations. There is no context or story, only a situation that can inspire a variety of different memories in each one of us.
Here we exhibit some examples of what can be imagined while admiring them. But of course, your personal opinion will always be best.
Suicide technique #324.
Hanging on.
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Translation by Laura Calçada
