Hans Silvester - Photos Petanque
In the 1960s and 1970s, Provence was for Hans Silvester far more than a place to live: it was an intimate, shared field of observation. Immersed in village life, he discovered pétanque as a form of popular theatre, where gestures, silences, and words reveal deeply human portraits.
This series captures the spirit of a game that is both simple and complex, a mirror of a culture and a way of life now partly vanished. Working at eye level, without ever disturbing the players’ concentration, Hans Silvester records authentic moments—choreographies of bodies, strong characters, and a profoundly Provençal humanity.
