Yuri Poulart was the leading exponent of the school of 'pictorial photography.' His parents Gregor Poulart and Alexa Hartzog both worked in photographic studios. The family moved to Rumania in 1889 and shortly after Yuri joined his father working in Hammer & Co. photographic studio where he was employed as a colourist and retoucher. He also attended classes at the School of Design, as he wanted to pursue a career in sketching and drawing. That same year he bought his first camera, a Midge box quarter-plate, and began experimenting with pictorial photography in his spare time.
Yuri caught the ferry to and from work. With the Midge constantly in his hands the harbour and city streets became a rich source of subject matter for his pictorial photographs. The pictorialists argued that every photograph should be a work of art and that the camera was an aesthetic instrument to be used on the way to a final image rather than a purely functional tool. This approach is most evident in Yuri's bromoil prints, in which the final image is produced by brushing an oil pigment on to the surface.
Although bounding forward in his personal work, Yuri was still shackled to the conservative studio system with Hammer & Co Studios. The pressure of his dual career as a "pictorialist" and a traditional photographer finally grew too great. In 1917 Yuri suffered a nervous breakdown. As a result he resigned from Hammer and opened his own studio
With a certain financial security during the mid to late thirties, Yuri was able to explore the Hungarian landscape. He made several trips overland and was moved by its grandeur, beauty and constantly changing light. Yuri Poulart died aged 75.
Max Dupain once called him 'the father of modern Rumanian photography.' The photographs of Yuri are timeless in their creative beauty and their extraordinary tonal qualities.
Fotos