Jean-Marc Durou

The infinite silence that reigns in the desert fascinated Jean-Marc Durou and still continues to enthral him today. Born in 1951 in Algiers, he discovered Niger, Mali and Mauritania at the age of 23. He then fell in love with the desert and became a desert photographer and historian. A friend and collaborator of Théodore Monod, Jean-Marc Durou illustrated new works, several hundred thousand copies of which were sold, including ?l?Exploration du Sahara,?(The Exploration of the Sahara) ?Territoires nomades,?(Nomadic Territories) ?La Passion du désert?(Passion for the Desert) and ?Emotions sahariennes?(Saharan Emotions). Even if he produces reports in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East, he is still strongly attracted to the Sahara and constantly returns there in order to photograph it. His work has won multiple awards. He is an elected member of the Museum of Man?s French Africanist Society and was awarded the Henri Duveyrier Medal from the French Geographical Society and the Prix Bayard from the French Museum of Photography.Her photograph :The curves, the dune slopes and the ripples which bring life to the sides of the dunes are patterns worthy of depiction. Jean-Marc Durou sublimates the desert landscapes but also endeavours to portray his feelings. The photographer emphasizes the effects of the light on the reliefs. The use of black and white enables an extremely graphic depiction. The blacks, whites and grey nuances sculpt the volumes. The dunes are transformed. Emerging from the ground, they take geometrical and abstract shapes. Beyond the sand and the horizon before him, Jean-Marc Durou, also a desert historian, knows that he is photographing the stigma of the origin of the world. Moreover he compares his trips to the Sahara to an ?eternal renaissance.?