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SATURDAY EVENING POST
May 11th, 2024
When Picasso remarked that photography is capable of "liberating painting from all literature, from the anecdote, and even from the subject," he was highlighting a transformation in the art world that began in the 19th century with photography's emergence. Before photography, painting often served functional and documentary purposes, such as preserving the likenesses of individuals, depicting historical events, or conveying moral narratives. However, as photography began to fulfil these roles with greater accuracy and efficiency, painting was freed from these utilitarian constraints.
Pablo Picasso, Reading at a Table, 1934, Oil on canvas, 63 7/8 x 51 3/8 in. (162.2 x 130.5 cm). © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
“Photography liberated artists", the realisation of this statement is not attributed to a single person, but rather a sentiment that has been expressed by many critics, historians, and artists throughout the history of the medium. Photography's ability to capture reality with precision meant that artists could move away from representational and narrative art towards more abstract, symbolic, and experimental forms. This shift is evident in the movements that emerged after photography's widespread adoption, such as Impressionism, Cubism, and Abstract Expressionism. In the context of Impressionism, artists like Claude Monet and Edgar Degas began to focus more on capturing light, movement, and moments, rather than detailed, realistic representations. Picasso himself took advantage of this "newly acquired liberty" in his pioneering work in Cubism. By breaking away from the need to depict the world as it is seen, Picasso and his peers like Georges Braque experimented with form, perspective, and space, exploring deeper aspects of perception and reality.
ABOVE IMAGES:
Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol, Madam Monet and Her Son, 1875, Oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 31 7/8 in. (100 x 81 cm).
Edgar Degas, The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage, c. 1874, Oil colors freely mixed with turpentine, with traces of watercolor and pastel over pen-and-ink drawing on cream-colored wove paper, laid down on bristol board and mounted on canvas, 21 3/8 x 28 3/4 in. (54.3 x 73 cm).
Georges Braque, Man with a Guitar, Céret, summer 1911-early 1912, Oil on canvas, 45 3/4 x 31 7/8 in. (116.2 x 80.9 cm). © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
In France, Louis Daguerre developed the daguerreotype that unveiled in 1939, a process that produced sharp, detailed images on a silvered copper plate. This method captivated the public with its ability to capture a level of detail that no other art form could achieve at the time. With its mesmerizing clarity and one-of-a-kind output, became highly prized for portraiture, capturing the minutiae of human expression and the textures of the material world.
Meanwhile, in England, William Henry Fox Talbot was pioneering the calotype process, which created negative images on paper that could be used to produce multiple positive prints, making it ideal for artistic applications and practical uses such as architectural and landscape photography. This innovation laid the groundwork for the modern photographic process and opened new possibilities for the reproduction and dissemination of images. Together, these innovations not only democratized the production of images but also challenged traditional forms of art, setting the stage for photography's profound impact on visual culture.
ABOVE IMAGES:
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, The Artist’s Studio / Still Life with Plaster Casts, 1837, daguerreotype, 6.5 x 8.5 in. (16.5 x 21.6 cm).
Mathew Brady, A portrait of an unidentified woman, circa 1851-1860. Copyright Mathew Brady / Library of Congress
William Henry Fox Talbot, Nelson’s Column under Construction, Trafalgar Square, Salted paper print from paper negative, Image: 6 3/4 x 8 3/8 in. (17.1 x 21.2 cm)
However, alongside this sense of wonder, there was also a significant degree of skepticism and even disdain towards photography, particularly among established artists and critics. The immediacy of photography's representations led some to view it as a mere mechanical process rather than a true art form, arguing that it lacked the interpretive and creative elements that characterized traditional artistic mediums. Notable figures such as Charles Baudelaire dismissed photography as merely "the refuge of every would-be painter, every painter too ill-endowed or too lazy to complete his studies." This sentiment highlighted a fear that photography, by capturing reality so precisely, might overshadow or diminish the value of painting and other forms of visual art.
Julia Margaret Cameron, Madonna with Children, 1864, Albumen silver print, 10 1/2 × 8 5/8" (26.7 × 21.9 cm).
Early proponents of photography as an art form, such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Henry Peach Robinson, sought to demonstrate that the medium could be used for imaginative and expressive purposes, challenging the perception of photography as mere mechanical reproduction.
Julia Margaret Cameron began her photography career in the middle of the 19th century, was one of the earliest to push the boundaries of the then new technology towards the realms of fine art. Cameron was less concerned with the technical perfection that characterized much of the photography of her era. Instead, she embraced and even celebrated the ethereal quality of soft focus and the emotive power of portraiture. Her photographs often featured close-ups with dramatic lighting and were intentionally out of focus, techniques that were unconventional at the time and provoked criticism for their apparent imperfections. However, Cameron's approach to photography was deeply influenced by her desire to convey the inner beauty and spiritual depth of her subjects. She viewed her work as a form of poetic expression, akin to painting and sculpture, aiming to capture the soul of the person rather than just a detailed likeness. Her portraits of prominent Victorians and allegorical photographs were meant to evoke the emotional and narrative aspects of her subjects, thereby elevating her photography to the level of high art.
Eugene Atget, Porte Cluny, 1898, Albumen silver prints, 8 11/16 × 6 9/16 in. (22 × 16.7 cm).
Eugène Atget’s work documenting Old Paris further exemplifies the transitional nature of early photographic work from pure documentation to a form of art. Atget’s photographs, while intended to record the disappearing urban landscapes, inadvertently captured the poetic essence of Parisian streets, which later influenced Surrealist artists. His meticulous documentation provided not just historical records but also a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic that celebrated the mundane aspects of urban life, highlighting photography’s potential to bridge reality and artistry.
Alfred Stieglitz, Equivalent, 1926, Gelatin silver print, 4 5/8 x 3 5/8 in. (11.8 x 9.2 cm).
Alfred Stieglitz on the other hand, played a crucial role in the early 20th century, both as a photographer and as an advocate for photography as a form of fine art in America. Through his numerous galleries, most notably the 291 Gallery in New York, Stieglitz introduced the American public to both avant-garde European art and to photography as an independent art form. His own photographic work, such as the famous series of cloudscapes entitled "Equivalents," sought to demonstrate that photographs could express abstract concepts and evoke emotional responses similar to music and painting. Stieglitz believed deeply in the idea that photography could transcend its initial documentary function and serve as a viable medium for personal and artistic expression. His tireless promotion of photography included curating exhibitions, publishing critical texts, and engaging in extensive correspondence with other artists and critics, helping to shift the perception of photography from mere mechanical reproduction to a legitimate, expressive art form.
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May Ray, Untitled (plate 2) from the album Champs Délicieux, 1922, Gelatin silver print after rayograph, 8 3/4 × 6 5/8 in. (22.2 × 16.9 cm).
Man Ray, Rayograph, 1922, Gelatin silver print, 9 7/16 x 7 in. (23.9 x 17.8 cm).
French photographer and painter Dora Maar was another prominent figure in the Surrealist movement. Her work in photography was characterized by a strong sense of experimentation and innovation. Maar was known for her complex, multi-layered photomontages, which assembled different photographic elements into new, surreal compositions. These works often featured distorted figures and dream-like scenes that explored themes of fantasy, psychoanalysis, and personal identity. “She contributed to making the everyday strange”. Says Emma Lewis who curated her retrospective at the Tate Modern. Maar's photomontages were not only technically impressive but also conceptually rich, using surreal imagery to probe deeper psychological and emotional states. Throughout her life, Maar was always caught between photography and painting, particularly during her relationship with Picasso. Her approach to photography exemplified how the medium could be manipulated to transcend straightforward visual documentation, instead serving as a powerful tool for artistic expression that could challenge and expand the viewer's understanding of reality.
Through these modern art movements and works, photography was not merely adopted into modernist practices, it became a critical tool for challenging and redefining art itself. The medium's ability to manipulate reality and to question the authenticity of visual information resonated with modernist artists' broader goals, making it an essential element in the art of the early 20th century.
Dora Maar, Untitled (Hand-Shell), 1934, gelatin silver print, 15 3/4 x 11 3/8 in. (40 x 29 cm). Centre Pompidou, Paris. © ADAGP, Paris/DACS, London/ARS, New York.
In the 1960’s and 70’s. a group of artists in Vancouver, led by artist and educator Ian Wallace, continued to explore the intersection of painting and photography through a conceptual lens with the foundation of would be known as the Vancouver School. While artists such as Jeff Wall began examining these connections through conceptual photographic reimagining of historical works such as The Death of Sardanapalus by Eugene Delacroix (1827) via The Destroyed Room (1978), Wallace works to physically combine the mediums. Wallace’s works often marry the articulate representation of reality through photographic processes with monochromatic, abstract applications of paint. The immediate proximity of these elements highlight differences in the mediums while carefully constructed compositions generate a unified piece.
ABOVE IMAGES:
Ian Wallace, Poverty, 1982, Oil-based silkscreen over acrylic paint on canvas, 8 panels, overall 71 x 376 in (180 x 955 cm).
Jeff Wall, The Destroyed Room, 1978, Backlit Cibachrome transparency, 66 1/2 x 101 1/2 in. (169 x 258.4 cm).
Photography is often incorporated into contemporary multimedia installations in formats other than the traditional reproduction of prints through chemical or digital processes. In these applications it is often used in relation to the conceptual use of photography as light manipulation and reflection. These elements are blended with other media to create immersive and interactive experiences. This fusion can be seen in the work of artists like Olafur Eliasson, whose installations frequently incorporate photographic elements in conjunction with lights, mirrors, and natural materials to explore perception and the experience of space.
Olafur Eliasson, The weather project, 2003, Tate Modern, London, 2003. Photo credit: Tate Photography (Andrew Dunkley & Marcus Leith) and Olafur Eliasson
Another artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, uses photographic and film elements dynamically in his interactive installations. His piece "Under Scan," for example, involves projected film portraits that appear and disappear in response to the viewer's movements. This work exemplifies how photography, combined with motion-sensing technology, which takes photos of the viewers, can create a dynamic form of art that interacts with its audience in real-time, challenging traditional notions of the passive role of the viewer in photography.
(We highly recommend watching this video)
ABOVE IMAGES:
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Under Scan, Relational Architecture 11, 2005. Shown here: Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom, 2008. Photo credit: Antimodular Research.
Through these interdisciplinary and innovative uses, photography continues to play a crucial role in the evolution of contemporary art, demonstrating its adaptability and its capacity to merge and expand into a multitude of other formats that births innovative methods of creation. This ongoing integration underscores photography's unique position at the intersection of technology, art, and human interaction, making it a vital component of the art world.
Looking forward, the integration of photography with cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence promises to further redefine its role in the art world and beyond. This not only changes the viewing experience but also expands the narrative possibilities of photography, allowing stories to be told in a more dynamic and interactive way.
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