photography final notes
TRANSCRIPT
Photography Final Notes
April 4, 2011 Action Photography (Newhall, Ch. 8)
o Shift of still photography into motion pictures in the late 19th and early 20th
centuryo Photographers who are interested in movement such as Muybridge and Marey
are connected to motion picture/movieso Interest in grand scenes that had a combination of a totality of the whole, carried
away to a distant place, but can also look at close up at detailso Not only technological but also different ways of seeing, and changes in what
people want to see Eastman
o 1854-1932
o Kodak camera - 1888
Allowed more people to make pictures Portable equipment Where the term “snapshot” originates Amateur path Earliest prints are circular format
o Church, George Eastman with a Kodak Camera on Board the “S.S. Gallia”,
1890 Riis
o 1849-1914
o Sociological/social subjects/issues as well as documentation
o Police detective/reporter
Began as documentation and publicized these photographs of social conditions
Published How the Other Half Liveso Used powder ignited flash
o Bandit’s Roost, New York, 1888
Homeless immigrants crowded in crime-filled ghettoso Home of an Italian Ragpicker, New York, 1888
Photography vs. paintingo Painting
can highlight, emphasize and extract things in highly realistic settingo Photographer
Same/similar subjects, takes what is there, more immediate, earthy and less fixed-up, and thus indicative of how things really were
Pictorial Photography (Newhall, Ch. 9)
o begins in late 19th century
o pictorial vs. documentary
o Emerson
1856-1936 Norfolk, England Against Art Photography of Robinson and felt it was unnatural to the
medium of photography Liked the “natural” aspects of art Stay true to the medium Did not manipulate/retouch negatives Liked landscapes and the outdoors
Specific titles Platinotypes Gathering Water Lilies, 1886
Like Cameron - not concerned about the out-of-focus fuzzy/mellow/warm quality, thought that that reproduced how the eye saw things
Not like Cameron - in that he is not concerned with creating a mythical setting, but rather interested in actual people
o Realism movement in French painting influence of artists
like Millet who were interested in subjects of everyday workers/commoners
Later claimed photography was not art! Art Photography becomes more popular in Europe in the 1890s Demachy
o Gum-bichromate process
Creates textures of Degas Similar subjects, structure, strong silhouetted forms, shadows, still-
life of the figure, painterly, pastel strokes Criticized as un-photographic and too manipulative (different than
Robinson)o Behind the Scenes, 1897’
Frederick H. Evanso Architectural photographs
o Emphasis on light
Influenced by Impressionismo Little or no manipulation of the negative
o Structure, symmetry, supporting elements
o Aubrey Beardsley, 1893
o Sea of Steps - Wells Cathedral, 1903
Early Stieglitzo 1864-1936
o American studied mechanical engineering in Germany
o Very similar to Steichen
o Important as a photographer, and in terms of his attitudes toward art in general,
painting, sculpture, and photographyo European modernist ideas into New York
o Married to O’keffe
o Pictorial, not documentary
Direct, honest and spontaneous Right moment at the right time quality, brief moments Still aware of the balance of atmosphere, composition, light and
dark valueso Popular in Europe
o Degas lines that draw attention to the figure
o Textures in the clothing
o Paula or Sun Rays, 1889
Captures lines through shutters creating a pattern on wall behind woman Extreme light and dark contrasts yet extreme detail Vermeer raking light from the left
o Director of Society of Amateur Photographers in America
Through the journal and lectures which encouraged amateur photographers
o Exhibited high art of Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse as well as photography
o Didn’t do a high manipulating of textures (like Steichen)
o New York subjects
o Winter on Fifth Avenue, New York, 1893
Notice large forms and shapes in the backgroundo Followers
Coburn (1882-1966) Impressionist subjects
o Atmosphere and water reflections, etc..
Kasebier Blessed Art Thou Among Women, 1900
o More of a Romantic quality w/ a hint of narrative
o Title - phrase from Annunciation in the Bible
But maybe to reinterpret the biblical story in a modern way
Could be a vague Impressionistic allegory
similar to Cassat often beautiful repeated shapes and forms Cameron stagey qualities, and vagueness of subjects often Impressionistic shadows, dimensionality and flatness
Early Steicheno 1879-1973
o From Milwaukee
o Early career
Moody landscapes and applied color in dark room Impressionist paintings of early Mondrian
o Studied in Paris in painting and photography
o Rodin and “The Thinker”, 1902
o 291 Gallery was first Steichen’s studio
o Graphic designer
February 1902o Stieglitz develops the Photo Secession
Avant garde, cutting edge as opposed to ordinary Imitating the Vienna Secession group Independence from Academic art Stieglitz, Steichen Kasbier Goals/Ideals
To advance photography as it applies to pictorial expression Draw together those practicing or interested in art To hold exhibitions
Hartmanno Wrote about two camps of Pictorial Photography
1) painterly (Steichen) 2) photographic themes and textures (Stieglitz)
1910o 1st photographic art exhibit in Buffalo
o Helps legitimize photography as an art form to a wider audience/public
April 11, 2011
1910o Cubism, Fauvism, Futurism, birth of Dada and Surrealism, Kandinsky in
Germany Later Stieglitz
o Primarily shown in New York
o Straight Photography, cropping is okay, but doesn’t manipulate in darkroom like
Steicheno Steerage, 1907
Cubist painting influence Repeated shapes, flat space, forms and surfaces are very surface
oriented o City of Ambition, 1910
Dominance of large repeating overlapping shapes and form Stage-set quality
o Georgia O’Keeffe, 1922
Emphasis on shallow surface Closeup of woodgrain, structure and emphasis on texture Dramatic shadow around face
o Equivalent, 1927
Cloud study Abstract/non-objective/non-representational Equivalent of moods and thoughts Emphasis on finding in nature organic qualities
o Often contrasts of nature and architecture
o Retains a tension in the depiction of space
Most of the picture is surface oriented w/ little deep space Emphasis on forms and textures to create space
April 18, 2011
Straight Photography (Newhall, Ch.10) Strand
o 1890-1976
o New York street people portraits
Figure in actiono Voyeuristic
Moral issues of photographing blind person who couldn’t object unless you told them
o Emphasis on structure
In terms of objects, rural settings and architectureo Formalism
Contructivisto High vantage point with architecture creates interesting space
o Cubist collage
Signs, words, text
From Stieglitz and Gallery 291o Porch Shadows, 1917
Abstraction but still Straight Photography because very little manipulation Capturing in the world the sense of structure
o The White Fence, Port Kent, New York, 1916
Ordinary scene but emphasizes form and design Interesting pattern and modeled, almost Impressionistic lighting Deep space and sense of distance but simultaneously very Cezanesque
flatness due to light and darks push and pullo Rock, Porte Lorne, Nova Scotia, 1919
Ocean-side scenery Rock terrain Very close-up
o Close-ups of machinery and cityscapes
Similar to Leger machine and city scenes, and the Purism movement which is an outgrowth of Cubism
Literal machinery or forms that resemble machinery Signs of progress also O’Keeffe
o Town Hall, Vermont, 1946
Sociopolitical issues of America Sheeler
o Constructivist, precisionist
o Bucks County Barn, 1916
Patterns and textures in the boards Precision and organization
o Ford Plant, Detroit or Crosswalks, 1927
Seen as positive progress and power of America Later Steichen
o Structured phase in 1910s and 20s
o Regularity, repetition
April 25, 2011
American Straight Photography o Emphasis on shapes
o Reflects Modern Cubist painting at this time
o Not necessarily a narrative
o Outerbridge
Geometry and structure in objects and shadows/silhouettes
Flat cutout forms Cars/machinery (Sheeler, Leger paintings/Ballet Mechanique)
o Steiner
Interest in the shadow of the form as well as the form itself Vernacular, everyday scenes America Rural Baroque, 1930
Evoking an era of the past (Baroque) Curves in chair Shadows as well as object itself Siding on house Interesting shapes and textures
o Cubist influence
o Plays on/attention to surfaces to create space but still flat
o Weston
Abstraction (handling of space, value shifts, variety of forms) as well as Realism (Documentary quality)
Extended from Stieglitz and his circle Previsualization
o Little manipulation, finding the photo in nature
Similar to biomorphic organic forms of Surrealism Goes out in nature and photograph things in a new context Clouds, Mexico, 1926
Abstracting forms Less specific, focus on form and value
Nude, 1925 Interest in figure in an abstracted way Illusionistic texture, but lack of detail creates a lack of
specificity/individuality Unique lighting Cropping of figure Lack of background Isolation (no Classical costume/drapery)
o However, hints of Classical (nude figure, sometimes
contraposto, illusionistic idealism, etc.) Natural forms emphasized Mimics landscape/natural forms
Artichoke Halved, 1930 Sexual allusion Emphasizes natural forms Seeing nature differently (at a close range)
White Dunes, Oceano, California, 1936 Wind-blown sands Textured details Repeated forms Vast space
o But crisp details pull space forward
o Cunningham
Leaf Pattern, 1929 Closeup Pattern Lighting and dark contrasts
Similar to Weston (and Adams) Straight Photography
o Adams
Influenced by Weston and Strand Close-up Textures
Descendant of Jackson Natural scenery
Dramatic outdoor scenes with emphasis on textures which help push and pull space
Zones of light and shade Yosemite National Park,
love of natural scenery Mount Williamson - Clearing Storm or Sierra Navada, from Manzanar,
1945 Pristine foreground rocks Raking light in background Dramatic nature Texture and precision
o Atget
French Historic buildings for museums Documents Paris Casual quality Took outdoor photographs early in the morning Storefronts with interesting reflections
Surrealist mix of things, but was not directly influenced by them Captures an era or way of life that does not exist anymore
Formalism (Newhall, Ch. 11)o Similar to experimental film
o Patterns
o Unusual technique
o Coburn
Vortograph, 1917 Three mirrors create hollow triangle and photographed through this
lenso Creates jewel-like forms
o Similar to Cubism, facets and kaleidoscopic effects and
Experimental Filmso Schad
Schadograph, 1918 Laid cutouts and flat objects on light sensitive paper Similar to Cubist collage
o Moholy-Nagy
Straightforward but irrational Dada found object quality but rational Cubist shadows that create repeated shapes From the Radio Tower, Berlin, 1928
Aerial view looking down Photogram, 1925
Similar to Schadogram and Rayographso Sensitized paper
Forms, textures Letters Unstructured, unplanned Dada found objects But Cubist structure Surrealist automatic quality
o Heartfield and Hoch
Photographic collage (Cubism) and found objects (Dada)o Rodchenko
Similar to Moholy-Nagy Formalism
Celebrates technologyo Man Ray
1890-1976, American Settled in Paris Rayographs
Similar to Photograms and Schadograms Expose sensitized paper with objects or other photographs layered
and reexposed
Chance results Similar to Surrealism and Cubism in painting
Traditional structured technical composition but with the idea of chance
o Bruguiere
Special processing Rich surfaces mimic drapery
Instant Vision (Newhall, Ch.12)o Portability of cameras
o Latrigue
Small portable camera, snap-shot approach Interest in movement/moving objects/motion Grand Prix, 1912
o Salomon
Journalistic photographer Famous people, current events No flash, existing light Candid quality Visit of German Statesmen to Rome, 1931
o Kertesz
Instant moment, not interested in clarity of the whole or a classical timelessness
o Brandt
Instant moment Parlor Maids, 1933
Contrast btwn. humble maids w/ glamour/luxury Repetition of forms Organic contrasted with geometry
o Brassai
Paris nightlife in 1930s Instant technique from Kertesz “Bijou”, 1933
Alludes to woman looking for companionshipo Genderswitching/questioning
Overdressed with excesso Cartier-Bresson
Seizes the moment/split second Accidental quality but sophisticated forms and composition Stieglitz, 1946 Children Playing in Ruins, 1934
During Spanish Civil War Middle of moment Social commentary
o Boy on crutches
o The ruins
Cardinal Pacelli, 1938 Hustle and bustle of a famous person Emotional quality of the faithful
o Weegee
Newspaper photographer Social commentary on urban life Crashing-in on event, grabbing public’s attention Used a flash The Critic, 1943
Overdressed old women juxtaposed with a woman asking for a handout
o Morgan
Photographed dancers Martha Graham, 1941
In a studio and carefully lit, therefore not documentary Documentary Photography (Newhall, Ch. 13)
o Documents some aspect of the world
o Mostly American
o Sander
German Atlas of German “types”, professions and trades Full figure in their home or work setting Rural, urban, rich and poor
o Hine
Ellis Island immigrant photos Workers/working class Trained as a sociologist, and the camera for him was a tool for research
and communication ‘Photo-stories’ w/out text Similar to Riis Carolina Cotton Mill, 1908
Helped educate the population about child labor situations which helped establish child labor laws
o Johnston
Photos of the south black agricultural tradesworkers and black education
o Evans
Depression era photographer 1930s (think 42nd St. references)
Hired by US government to document the Depression conditions in the South
Gas Station,1936 Strong structure Instant moment/vision
o Very little manipulation
o Very careful to capture the scene of the place and what life
was like Allie Mae Burroughs, 1936 Washroom of the Burroughs’ Home, 1936
Plain and ordinary Pleasing compositional and design elements
o Lange
Portrait photographer and later documentary of migratory workers Time and place important Migrant Mother, 1936
Captures the emotion of hardship Classic mother and child, almost religious
o Shahn
35mm w/ right angle viewfinder so he could photograph them without their knowledge
Rehabilitation Client, 1935