$650.00
In November 2023, Michael Sherwin spent several days photographing in the Forest of Fontainebleau, the second-largest national forest in France and a site steeped in artistic heritage. This storied woodland inspired famous 19th century Impressionist painters and early landscape photographers, and in 1861 it became the first nature preserve in history, designated specifically for artists. Its intricate network of “sentiers,” established by Claude-François Denecourt, were the world’s first marked hiking trails, offering a curated visual experience that merges the natural with the constructed and marks the birth of modern nature tourism.
This convergence of art history, conservation, and ecology captivates Sherwin. The more he learned about the Forest of Fontainebleau’s rich past, the more he was drawn to its layered narrative of preserved landscapes and deliberately shaped paths. “Sentier,” a French word meaning footpath, also echoes “sentir,” meaning to sense or feel. By weaving together the physical act of walking with the deeper act of sensing and looking, Sherwin’s photography project, Sentiers, aims to highlight the delicate balance between human intervention and the innate beauty of nature.
