What is a photographer?

23rd April 2015

This exercise looks at the essay written by Marius De Zayas (1880-1961), a curator and essayist  who was closely allied to the 291 gallery. This essay was published in 1913 and looked at the distinction between "artist photographer" and "photographers". 

I have read the essay, summarized the key points, responded to his points of view and considered whether these questions are still relevant today.

Inserts from Photography and Photography and Artistic Photography (1913) Marius De Zayas, first published in Camera Work no. 41 (http://www.camramirez.com/pdf/DI_Week6_PhotoAndArt.pdf)

This is a fairly straightforward definition on what De Zayas considers the difference between art and photography. The explanation follows of how to make photography acceptable like art by following a set of protocols. This introduces the reader to the idea that De DZayas believes photography represent the truth. I do not agree with his first statement of photography not being an art. I believe that photography can be art, although there must have been thought, imagination, creativity and reflection behind the work. Looking back through time, Atget may not have called himself an artist but he has been called an artist because people were interested in his work. Photographers formed groups and exhibited their work much like artists. Nowadays photography is more widely accepted as art.

In 19^th century art, the development of the neoclassicism and primitivism  moved artists away from painting religious scenes and symbolism in favour of science, industry and more realistic images (form). De Zayas was living through a period of great change in Art with the development of impressionism, cubism, neo-plasticism and other genres.   I do not find it surprising that people questioned what art was. 

In 1916, Picasso had exhibited Le Demoizelles of Avignon (painted 1907) which at the time was considered immoral. This cubism painting shows that Picasso was influenced by African art and he

distorted and made geometric the female form. It challenged societies views on female beauty.

At the time De Zayas’s essay was probably written, the common view was that Non- western people did not have art. Looking back to this period of art history, it seems that art was undergoing a huge change especially with the development of the camera and if De Zayas was in alliance with Stieglitz he may have favoured photography over art.

In my opinion, one of today’s issues is that more and more people are taking digital photographs but not all of it is art, despite numerous publications and guides on the internet for the amateur. These do not teach one how to put the emotion into the image;  they merely teach the photographer the technical aspects of taking or reproducing the image which in turn dilutes the pure art. So perhaps the issue of “art devouring art” has not disappeared, merely changed form.

These days there are several publications and websites for the professional and amateur     photographer. Competitions and  exhibitions are held encouraging photographers to showcase their work. It is possible that an idea is never really original as we live in a visual world and if an artist’s or photographer’s work has made an impression on us, we may subconsciously remember that work which influences our own.

I think times have moved on since here. Contextually the British Empire was still in existence and slavery had been abolished. (No academic reference to article so I am unable to date it exactly). It is possible that the artists who influenced the popular artists at the time this essay was written had seen works containing African lifestyle and slavery. The decline of the British Empire was based on British greed so it may be that this is an accurate representation of how people felt at the time. Culturally, although anthropological studies were undertaken on Africans and their art, their differences may not have been as widely accepted as they are today. Certainly these days, Aboriginal Art is taught in secondary school education as part of the curriculum along with artists such as Piet Mondrian (1872-1944 Dutch Artist) who started his career as a  landscape artist and painted landscapes in graphic designs. Mondrian published a book on Neo-Plasticism in which he referred to his vision of "plastic" being the new method for representing modern reality by the action and forms of the colours on the surface of the canvas. 

At this point I became confused. De Zayas was in alliance with Steichen who exhibited modern art paintings along with photography in Gallery 291. Maybe he thought that it was time for a new medium such as photography to be developed and exhibited which would be more creative than paintings.

Imagination requires reflection on the original idea, trying out new ideas and combining them together and trialing them again, perhaps several times. So I agree with this idea.

I think  De Zayas is referring to the fact that imagination originally comes from fantasia (fantasy) and is seen as not real. This was a topic being defined over the last few centuries, especially by Kant. De Zayas  goes on to say that imagination is illusionary. 

I think this explanation means that the photographer has to show the emotion of the subject or form that he is capturing (Emotion is an affective state of consciousness - Collins dictionary) without showing his own emotion. To update this, I think that some photo - stories which appear on websites such as Lens Culture or works such as Richard Billingham's "Ray's a Laugh", or Toby Smith's "Walk the HS2 line" are emotional subjects which the photographer has to empathise with in order to produce the images he requires which convey the necessary emotion to the viewers. (Empathy is also an affective emotion.) I agree with this, although I think the photographer has to remain neutral and open to possibilities rather than taking a particular side if it is a political subject. Thinking back to the talk from Toby Smith, I think this fits in well here.

I agree that photography teaches us to realise and feel our own emotions. 

However, I do not believe that photography always shows the truth. I think in a bid to make the photograph look creative, the truth may be bent or the image may contain a representation of form. When studying geo-caching and topography briefly for a previous assignment, I came across debates on the Internet on whether the photographer should remove telegraph wires from images because it spoiled the scenic view and made the area more difficult to find for geo-catchers. Historically too, it would not represent how the land / building was at the time if the image was altered. I think that if the purpose of the photograph is defined, the photographer is able to alter the truth. If all photographs showed the truth, photography would become banal. Researching a certain subject of photographs on the Internet can be demoralising because there are  so many similar images on the web. It is only when an artist / photographer does something different, people take more notice. 

I agree with this statement because I think that as the photographer begins to master the technical aspect of photography to capture form, they begin to use the techniques at their disposal more creatively. I see it as progression and setting the photographer of form out from the artist. I think De Zayas, who was in alliance with Stieglitz and Steichen was putting forward his argument for why his contemporaries were doing things differently. 

Even by defining the 4 key words in this passage, I am still not sure i completely understand where De Zayas is coming from. Objectivity is a lack of bias whereas subjectivity is developed in the person's mind and not developed by external stimuli. Inductive thinking is starting with a specific idea and working around it to make it larger. Deductive thinking is logical reasoning by the power of deduction starting with a broad subject and narrowing it down.This again talks of imagination and emotion. I think this is where artistic photography fits.

Amorphic is without form. I think this statement  is a great generalisation. I have not studied art in cultures who are more religious than ours or countries who are multi cultural and have multi faiths where influences may cross over. I also wonder how long the "great periods" are that De Zayas mentions. I don't feel I know enough to comment on De Zayas's reasoning of why "Art has always been subjective and dependent on the religious idea." De Zayas argues that it is only photography which started man thinking about representing form. Is this because photography was developed and adopted as an art form in the West? Did Eastern cultures experiment with photography and was it abstract like their art. Was the culture in which De Zayas worked open to cultural exchanges of ideas?

It would be interesting to see what De Zayas thought of photography now and whether he sat on the side of art photography or photography. I think there is a place for both. Looking at the image from Steiglitz of The Steerage from 1907, the representation of the subject would not look out of place today (although the image could be dated from the type of boat and clothes worn by the passengers.

 So I think the image shows some truth.

Bibliography

http://www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp  accessed 21/4/15
http://www.piet-mondrian.org/ accessed 22/4/15
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mondrian-piet.htm accessed 21/4/15
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/33.43.29 accessed 21/4/15
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/emotion accessed 21/4/15
http://www.camramirez.com/pdf/DI_Week6_PhotoAndArt.pdf accessed 21/4/15
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/33.43.419 accessed 21/4/15

Establishing conventions

For this exercise I have looked at twelve 18th and 19th Century landscape paintings, listed the commonalities found across all of them and discovered where possible why they were painted. These are organised in chronological order from the date of birth of the artist so I could see if significant changes took place in style or technique  over the time frame.

I then found examples of 12 photographers from any era who conform to to these conventions.

Dirck Dalens III  (1688-1753)

Commissioned to paint wall paintings in the houses of the nobility and in addition painted a few winter landscape paintings. Trained as a draughtsman.

Frozen river landscape Dirck Dalens III

Within this image there is foreground detail, use of framing, architectural trees and buildings, use of light, implied triangles, diagonals, a focal point of the church in the distance, activity happening and the image is crisp and clear. This is a traditional landscape which shows a moment stopped in time. I was unable to find much information about this artist, although it was sold to a private collector for £39 million a few years ago. This image reminds me of Christmas cards and medieval paintings.

Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto) (1697-1768)

This was one of a pair of images. this one was bequeathed to the National Gallery (although not currently on display) by Lord Revelstoke in 1929. Canaletto worked for his father as a theatrical scene painter and documented the city life of the people of Venice. His work was noticeable for the "sunlight" on the buildings. Canaletto later developed his work by using a camera obscurer to capture the people.

Regatta on the Grand Canal, Venice Canaletto 1741

I was drawn to the bright colours in this image, use of implied triangles, diagonals, lead in lines and the position of the canal being unsymmetrical. The use of shadow and light to highlight key objects helps to bring the painting to life. (Critics consider the images of Venice to be among Canaletto's best work and Venice is built from canals with no green space).

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

Popular 18th century portrait painter whose passion was landscapes. He was a founding member of the Academy  and later withdrew following a disagreement. This painting was purchased from a private collection with assistance for the Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich presumably because of its importance as a topographical record of the town. This was one of Gainsborough's early works showing a series of man made ponds for the brewery. The weather and atmosphere is based on a dutch style. This landscape reminds me of the series of ponds at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire built by Bess of Hardwick.

Hollywells Park, Ipswich Thomas Gainsborough 1748-50

Gainsborough has captured the reflection of the sky and trees in the ponds, provided foreground interest and sky detail. The image is framed by the trees on the side. The ponds are in a diagonal and the horizon appears about half was across the image. The lighting adds interest to a patch in the foreground and the building adds a focal point.


Joseph Wright (1734-1797)

Joseph Wright lived and worked in Derby for most of his life. He started off as a portrait painter, and was responsive to the changes happening with the developments in science and the Industrial Revolution which kept his work fresh. He had an interest in using different single source of lighting such as moonlight, firelight, candlelight, light from a forge etc.  Wright held a place on the board of directors of the Society of Artists and exhibited with them, The Royal Academy and on his own.

 Iron Working Joseph Wright

This painting now hangs at the Iron Bridge Gorge. Wright painted a series of Iron Workers paintings and I have not been able to find any information about this one in particular. I am drawn to this because here he uses two light sources - the moon and the firelight. There is also evidence of vignetting around most of the frame which I find characteristic of Wright's landscape paintings. This helps draw the eye towards the centre of the image. The glow adds warmth to the image on what could be cold moonlight. The lead in line of the grassy path takes one up to the Iron Workers. The stepping stones in the river add foreground interest and give the image more depth. The clouds add texture to the sky.

John Constable (1776-1837)

John Constable, English romantic painted The Cornfield showing the landscape of his local area around East Bergholt in Suffolk for the 1826 Royal Academy Exhibition. Originally the painting on canvas was made in 1817 and without "the drinking boy" and animals. The tree line has also been altered.

The Cornfield John Constable 1826

Constable spent time observing and recreating the clouds as he saw them  to add atmosphere to his paintings. During his later years he looked at the chiaroscuro (contrast between dark and light). In my opinion this image shows that he was already experimenting with the effect because the workers and sheep are placed in the shadows whilst the sunlight falls on the patches of corn. The trees arch forming curves and he uses diagonals to create leading lines and areas of shadow and light. Constable uses the rule of thirds to position his trees, track and sky. The patch of sunlight falls just below the centre of the image creating a focal point.


Peter de Wint (1784-1849)

An English landscape painter loose brush stroke in watercolour used browns and green colours throughout his work. The Tate Gallery explains that he preferred to work his on composition rather than the climate. Painted many scenes around Lincoln and Lincolnshire. De wint exhibited oil and watercolour paintings at the Royal Academy, British Institution and the Old Watercolour Society.  This landscape has not been identified and possibly not exhibited. Bequeathed to the V and A Museum in 1921 by his granddaughter.

Landscaope with a waggon Peter De Wint 

De Wint uses mainly greens and browns throughout his paintings. The composition of this image shows depth with the hills and perspective with height from the trees. The track adds a lead in line and the cart adds mid ground interest. The use of light picks up an area of hill further into the image. De Wint uses the rule of thirds making offsetting the horizon. Foreground interest is provided with the fallen tree.


Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

Turner, an English landscape painter in the beginning did not wish to be typecast as such although in the beginning it sold his paintings. He expanded his repertoire with seascapes, literature and biblical paintings and was not afraid to paint current issues such as the Battle of Waterloo or whaling. Turner's style changed throughout his life from paintings in which the subject is recognisable to becoming more impressionist. During his lifetime, Turner received criticism from his contemporaries over his work. 

Exhibited Rain, steam and speed The Great Western Railway at the Royal Academy in 1844, 3 years after the opening of this railway line. Turner was one of the first painters to include trains.

Rain, Steam and Speed The Great Western Railway, JMW Turner 1844 

This images uses a diagonal lead in line to the train adding power and drama; the bridge at the left of the painting and a small boat on the river give perspective. The middle of the image shows realistic steam billowing from the train obscuring much of the sky detail. The light is bright and the dark train provides a contrast. Topography of the land is present. Shows use of speed and elements such as fire and water. Within the historical context of the day, this image was seen as the sublime. All of Turners works were bequeathed to the Tate Gallery which holds the Turner Prize Award which can be seen by some as controversial.

Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828)

An English painter from Arnold (Nottinghamshire) who has been exhibited posthumously along side Turner in Nottingham Castle. His family moved to France when he was young so he attended a French school of art and worked with Delacroix. Bonington sketched outside (plen-air) and painted in watercolours and oils.  He travelled the coasts of Northern France and Venice working in a romantic style. This painting was bequeathed to the Tate Gallery.

A distant view over Saint Omer Richard Parkes Bonington 1824

Many of Bonington's pieces are sea, town or portraits. Bonington uses the rule of thirds in which he lowers the horizon giving a good skyscape typical of East Anglian images. The track is positioned in the middle third creating a lead in line. The group of people are just off centre. Following the track, one comes across a cart which has made the tracks in the track surface, whilst the eyes rest before viewing the village to the left and the building to the right on the horizon. A group of 5 sheep and two cows provide an uneven number of animals and show the land usage. There is foreground interest from the plants and shadow detail.


Marianne North (1830-1890)

A female landscape painter who travelled round the world twice after the age of 40 to document plants growing in their native landscape. Friends with Charles Darwin and Edward Lear and able to paint plants with clarity, lushness and clean lines, her style of painting was about to be overtaken by the Impressionists. It was probably easier for her to record details in paintings as a camera would have been cumbersome. Her paintings accompanied her travel diaries and are on display at Kew Gardens where she has an exhibition building and plants named after her. 

Avenue of royal palms at Botafogo, Brazil 1873

This painting shows scale such as the height of the trees represented by the person with the leaf and the leaf propped against the trunk of the tree. The background of the landscape is shown at the back and there is a leading line through the tree lined avenue. 



Paul Cezanne 1839-1906


Influenced by Cezanne and supported financially by his father, Cezanne's work led him to believe that colour, line and form were inseparable. He used deliberate brush strokes and experimented with making his paintings look architectural. This image uses colour and texture to add interest to the foreground rather than animals or lead in lines. In searching for my "transitions" landscape for a following exercise (and ultimately assignment 6,) I am aware that my some of my landscape choices so far do not have an interesting foreground and I began to question whether texture and colour was enough in the foreground. This image demonstrates to me that it works because there is so much detail in the middle ground and some texture and colour difference in the foreground. I was unable to find information regarding Cezanne's exhibition. He had attended art schools and had a following of younger artists such as Pablo Picasso.

Landscape with poplars Paul Cezanne 1885-7

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Monet rejected the traditional methods of painting landscapes and instead taught himself to paint what he saw. Studied works of JWM Turner and Constable to learn about colour. Impressionism is about ever changing light and weather conditions. In the early days, Monet and his fellow colleagues such as Renoir and Cezanne were shunned by the art establishment. After rejection they exhibited their own shows, although the work was not well received. The name for the style of painting came from Monet's painting Impression: Sunrise.

Poplars on the Epte Claude Monet 1891

Monet discovered that this group of trees would be felled, so he bought them so as he could study them in different lights and weather conditions.From a studio boat he studied the reflection in the water. Monet made 23 paintings of the trees. This one uses the portrait orientation and has a depth to the single row of trees by showing the trees in the distance. Here Monet used diagonal lines to accentuate the thickness. This lighting and orientation affects the mood of the painting greatly from one painted of the same trees in a different light.

Poplars on the Epte, Claude Monet 1891

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Dutch painter who experimented with Neo-impressionism with Sisley "painted using tiny adjacent dabs of primary colour to create the effect of light [..to..]mix in the spectators eye. " Tate gallery (http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/n/neo-impressionism accessed 16/3/2015). This often intensified the luminosity. Housed at the Arts Initiative Chicago. I am unsure if this painting was exhibited but Van Gogh did exhibit his works in Paris and Brussels. At the time he did not receive as much recognition for his work as he does now. 

Fishing in the Spring Pont de Clichy, Asnieres, Vincent Van Gogh 1887

Van Gogh has included diagonals in the river and river bank, tree trunks, position of the boats, used interesting foreground and framed the painting with trees as if looking through a curtain. The use of technique to intensify the light makes this painting stand out. There are occasional splashes of colour which lead the eye in such as the person on the bridge  or the pink and yellows of the sawn tree stumps. The sky contains detail.

General inclusion of:
leading lines
rule of thirds
diagonals
skyscapes
position of the horizon
implied triangles
lighting - often single source using moonlight, candlelight, sunlight, forge light, fireworks, rainbows etc
chiaroscuro - light and dark contrasts
framing
use of elements such as fire, water, air
animals
crops
people
trees, hedges
water - stream, sea, lake
interesting foreground
a moment frozen in time
picturesque
industrial
romanticism
impressionist

Examples of photographers who conform to these conventions:

Ansel Adams (1902-1984)

Adams was an influential American photographer who developed the zone system. He founded the f64 group in 1932 with Edward Weston. Exhibited his work in America. Campaigned for conservation of landscapes including Yosemite , Alaska and Big Sur in California. Wrote technical manuals on photography enabling people to visualise and image and then shoot it.

Adams focused on spiritual and emotional aspects of the parks. "His black and white photographs were not "realistic documents" of nature[....]He created a sense of the sublime magnificence of nature that infused the viewer with the emotional equivalent of wilderness, often more powerful than the actual thing."(http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/ accessed 3/4/15)

Moonrise (click on link)

This image is lit by the moonlight which highlights the details of the cemetery. Uses the rule of thirds, texture in the foreground, interesting skyscape.

Edward Weston (1886-1958)

Weston started taking more landscape photographs from 1933 onwards, and Pitts (2001) notes that "Weston's landscapes suggest that the essence of the American character emerges directly from the people's relationship to the land." (p16) He commented too that Weston "expanded the visual vocabulary of landscape to include the man-made world - buildings, roads, signs, utility poles, fences - and sometimes entire cities." (p18). Weston exhibited  and sold photos and formed the f64 group with Ansel Adams.

Wrecked Car, Crescent Beach, California (click on link)

In this image, Weston combines the natural landscape with the man made by using wrecked car as the interesting feature. The foreground contains debris of broken twigs and branches, the mist provides atmosphere, the rule of thirds is used, the horizon is in the top third, and the car forms a diagonal in line with the tree. He has included implied triangles.

Joe Cornish 

Joe Cornish had his early work accepted into Charlie Waite's photo library. Became an exhibition photographer for Raleigh in 1991. Works freelance for the National Trust and is an advocate for environmental protection. Produces books and prints. Has a gallery in Northallerton and has exhibited work at the "Masters of Vision" (2013) in Southwell Minster, Notts. 

Hawthorn Southern Scales (image no longer available online)

Foreground detail of rocks, hawthorn tree as focal point, uses cloud skyscape, rule of thirds, a moment frozen in time.


Colin Prior

Scottish photographer who creates "sublime moments of light and land which are the result of meticulous planning and preparation and often take years to achieve" (http://www.colinprior.co.uk/profile/ accessed 2/4/15). Prior uses landscape patterns and links the reality and imagination together.

Prior is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers. I have seen his work for sale in galleries in Scotland.

Old Man of Storr, Skye

Foreground shows texture of the grass through the raking light. Mid ground shows the form of rocks, use of shadows and light, some clouds in sky. This image reminded me of the Paul Cezanne painting illustrated above. 

David Ward

British Photographer who works for various companies and runs photographic landscape workshops. Ward describes his work as having a "graphic simplicity and technical quality" (http://www.into-the-light.com/about/ accessed 3/4/15). Ward has a philosophical approach to landscape photography, relating his work to Gilpin and other writers and explains that he includes decay amongst his work because we find it "intriguing and beautiful".(http://www.into-the-light.com/gallery/hand-of-man/ accessed 3/4/15) 

Stanage Edge (click on link)

Some of Ward's images are more abstract than views; looking at texture, rhythm and detail. Ward uses interesting lighting conditions and includes portrait orientation of landscapes. In this image the rocks in the foreground are gritstone which have a rough surface and absorbs rain water slowly. Ward has captured the form and the light reflecting qualities of the stone and puddles rather than the texture which made me think about the difference in the two images of the Tufa Domes in the previous exercise. (This is what Krauss would have described as art). The horizon is placed in the upper third, and the "edge" of the rocks curves through the image. The sky detail adds atmosphere to the image.

Charlie Waite

British Photographer who creates calm, spiritual images which are held in private and corporate collections and exhibits worldwide. Writes books and runs photographic workshops. Holds an honorary fellowship to the British Institute of Professional Photographers. Waite started his career as an actor and then became a photographer, who prefers to photograph living landscapes rather than decay.

Rydal Water (click on link)

Waite uses the rule of thirds, perspective, atmospheric weather conditions such as mist, interesting skies, foreground detail such as the reeds, natural colours such as green and brown. The boathouse provides a focal point. Whereas some photographers would use a long exposure to smooth out the ripples in the water, Waite has left them in here giving a timeless feel similar to the 18th and 19th century painters.

Justin Partyka

British photographer with an interest in East Anglian landscapes. Partkyka was introduced to the work of Emerson who photographed the East Anglian landscape in the 1880's whilst studying folklore. Partyka's long term photographic project is the agrarian communities of East Anglia. He exhibits images, writes photo-books and runs teaching courses. In an interview with Jonathan Watts, Partkya explains that he tries to capture the unromanticised image of Norfolk; looking beneath the surface of the modern day culture to capture what life is really like when modern conveniences such as Tesco's and modern day farming methods are not used. Some of his images contain people, and these generations of people have been there for so long that they have become part of the landscape. Partyka's landscapes are not what I would call picturesque, and I think his way of representing the land is useful for me to look at with documenting my local landscape.

Summer days in the Stour Valley Stratford St Mary 2012 (click on link)

This image is taken in the Stour Valley which Constable country. Places here remain unchanged and Partyka has his own take on the landscape. In this image, the light is reminiscent of Constable's painting pictured above. Partyka has studied the shadows and light, used the rule of thirds, provided foreground interest, used the sun to highlight parts of the grass, included diagonals and a skyscape and used colours similar to Constable.

Simon Norfolk

Simon Norfolk is a photographer who takes landscape photographs in which political action has happened. His background is in documentary photography, sociology and philosophy. Norfolk has published books and exhibited in The Imperial War Museum in London, won the Infinity Award from the International Centre of Photography in New York and Le Prix Dialogue in Arles in 2005. He has photographed war zones such as Afghanistan and documented testing sites such as the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. His images are dark in comparison to the previous landscape photographers which in my opinion is in keeping with the nature of his subjects.

The Hebrides - a slight disturbance of the seas, Simon Norfolk (click on link)

His images still contain elements of conventional landscape photography or paintings. In the first image, for example of The Hebrides, the horizon is in the top third of the image. The sun is low adding a little colour to the image. The foreground interest is provided by detail of rocks or seaweed and a sweeping harbour wall adds a strong element of design through the image. In Norfolk's description of the history of this sea view, it seems fitting that the colours are minimal. This image shows form and texture, an implied triangle and lead in lines. 

Peter Watson

English landscape photographer who has published books on the landscape, exhibited his photographs and runs workshops. Uses a large format camera. In his book "Light in the landscape - A photographer's year", he guides the photographer through making the best of the natural landscapes and lighting conditions.

goyt-valley-peak-district-england (click on link)

This image uses implied triangles, leading lines, colour, a single focal point balanced just off centre, diagonals, a low horizon, the stormy weather to add drama to the sky.
Watson explains that there is "natural beauty in solitude. Isolate any single object and it immediately becomes visually stronger.[...]The importance of the sky should not be underestimated; it can be used to very strong effect. A threatening stormy sky will add a sense of vulnerability to anything isolated and this can be a very dramatic combination". Watson (2005)


John Miskelly

Irish landscape photographer, who runs workshops and exhibited his work at The Photography Show NEC (2015).

standing stones (click on link)
John explained the composition behind this and other landscape photographs during his talk at the NEC. This was made more dramatic by a hailstorm which left the ground white and added detail to the sky.He composed this image so that all the standing stones were separate. In this he used light and shadow detail, diagonals, rule of thirds, low horizon, texture of the stones, drama of the sky, balance, and a leading line.

Todd Hido

I first came across Todd Hido's work at an exhibition at Nottingham University on American Night Photography. Although I think Hido is a more contemporary photography who can tell stories through his choice of collated images, landscape has a part to play in setting the scene and giving the viewer more information about the area. Following the exhibition, I bought his book "Landscapes, interiors and the nude" which contains several landscape images in which he experimented with different techniques such as taking the image through the windscreen such as in this image.

Excerpts from Silver Meadows #10253 Todd Hido (click on link)

The soft focus (through a wet windscreen) gives an effect of the image being painted. Hido used neutral colours  such as browns and blues and the rule of thirds. The horizon is low, the weather plays to his advantage, the bare tree gives form to the image, there is foreground detail and he uses diagonal lines. So even though the methods of taking this image are not traditional, the photograph still follows conventions. 

Simon Roberts

British Photographer who looks at social landscapes. Works with a large format camera. His images are often taken from a high view point so the landscape becomes the dominant feature. Photographed the London Olympics, published photobooks and exhibited work.

Blackpool Beach July 2008 (click on link)

In this image of Blackpool Beach, the landscape is still dominant because the people are small. In my opinion the size and number of the people show the scale of the beach. He still exhibits the rule of thirds, leading line, a focal point, foreground interest and retains detail in the sky. Roberts's style of using more subdued colour for the landscape enhances the colourfulness of the people. 

References
http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/n/neo-impressionism accessed 13/3/15
http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/ accessed 8/4/15
http://www.colinprior.co.uk/profile/ accessed 2/4/15
http://www.into-the-light.com/about/ accessed 3/4/15
http://www.into-the-light.com/gallery/hand-of-man/ accessed 3/4/15
Weston, Icon Series (2001) Terence Pitts, Taschen GMBH (pg 16 and 18)
Light in the Landscape - a photographer's year (2005) Watson,P Photographer's Institute Press, UK (p91)

Bibliography
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/richard-parkes-bonington-41 accessed 15/3/15
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/richard-parkes-bonington.htm accessed 15/3/15
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-cornfield accessed 15/3/15
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Photography in the museum or in the gallery?

In this exercise I looked at Krauss's essay on "Photography's discursive spaces" and Tod Papageorge's lecture notes on "Eugine Atget, A winter's tale" I was aware of Atget, having researched him for a previous course although I found it useful to revisit his work. I also looked at the work of O'Sullivan as a landscape photographer in preparation for reading Krauss's essay.

Eugine Atget - born 1857, spent his early years as a sailor and tying to become an actor. Took up photography at the age of 40 and spent 30 years perfecting his craft. Atget's style developed to use contrasts, foreground detail, highlights and shadows, form and the viewing perspective. His acting and painting experience may have helped form his ideas. 

James Borcoman, in describing the viewing experience of Atget's work suggests that people referred to Atget's work as looking through a door or window. "The ambiguity between the vicarious (experienced through the feelings or experience of another)and the actual experience creates a tension in the viewer that gives photography its unusual quality as an artist's medium, that lends to photography its mystery. Often enough, the more the photograph appears to function as a mirror, the more the mystery deepens. It is at this point, too, that a photographer's style may be at its most elusive sensed, but indescribable." (http://www.masters-of-photography.com/A/atget/atget_articles3.html accessed 27/3/15) I  thought this was a good perspective from which to look at the two essays although I had not considered photography in this way before.

Rosalind Krauss, art critic, begins her paper by showing the reader two similar images of Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada. One image (a) is taken as a photograph by Timothy O'Sullivan in 1868. The other (b)is a lithographic copy of the same photograph used in "Systematic Geology" by Clarence King in 1878, some 10 years later. (Discrepancy over dates in her paper)

In order to fully understand the beginning of Krauss's discussion, one must realise that O'Sullivan and King were both part of a survey taking place after the American Civil War to document the "geological and topographical exploration of the territory between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains including the routes of the Pacific Railroad. ("http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3600) accessed 27/3/15. According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, King influenced O'Sullivan heavily with his images and as a result O'Sullivan made scientific and more personal, arty  images which helped entice settlers to this part of America.

Both of these images are different. In (a), the detail of the rocks are less well defined. Krauss observes the rocks as shapes which become "functions of design"and describes the space as being flattened. In (b), Krauss describes the rocks boring(banal) because the viewer can see every little detail. Krauss argues that these two photographs belong to "different domains of culture" and uses them because they illustrate "representations within two separate discursive spaces". She describes the first as art and the second as topography. 

(a) Timothy O'Sullivan, Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake (Nevada) 1868 

(b) Photolithograph after O'Sullivan, Published in King Survey 1875 

 Krauss explains that these images are both different because they are intended for different uses and therefore should be viewed in different discursive spaces - thus she would prefer to see the dreamy image (a) in an art gallery or museum and with (b) she identifies it as being restored to its original detail for inclusion into a geographical survey so it belongs to the geology discursive space.

Krauss explores the use of exhibition space in the 19th century where photographs and paintings were hung on the wall of an art gallery which she describes as "aesthetic discourse". She describes the advent of landscape images as being a "flattened and compressed experience of space" and cites two further different examples. She questions whether landscape should be hung on a museum / art gallery wall or whether it could be viewed in another way.

To change the viewing perspective in the 19th century, photographers made stereoscopic views. (Two images to viewed side by side in a stereoscope make them appear 3 dimensional). Krauss defines view as "speaks to the dramatic insistence of the perspectivally organised depth" to which she places O'Sullivan in the category of making views because of his "tendency to compose around the diagonal recession and centering of the view."  Krauss  indicates that stereoscopic view is of a "higher power" and belongs to a different  discursive("perspectival") space than topography and art. When the view is observed through the stereoscope, the action removes visual distractions (which would be present at a gallery) like a trip to the cinema allowing the viewer to concentrate on the image. 

Timothy O'Sullivan Stereoscopic view of Tufa Domes Pyramid Lake (Nevada)

She discusses the copyright / credit of the images and mentions that the 19th century photographer (operator) took the photographs for stereoscopes which were published by a company who took the copyright and authorship for them. She questions that if the operator is working for someone else, how credible is he as a photographer?  She seems sceptical that if O'Sullivan's work was for a stereoscope and he did not exhibit photographs, could he be classed as a photographer in his own right? She questions whether photographers who do not have a  lifetime collection of their own work (an oeuvre) have credibility? If Krauss labelled O'Sullivan as a landscape photographer, (which in my opinion he belongs to) could she see him as an artist with a vocation who measured his success and failure and looked at improving his work? In fact, he died not long after in 1882. 

Steroscopes were kept in drawers or cupboards in the Victorian homes and brought out occasionally for the family to enjoy the views. In my opinion, by the very nature of its use, it took art to the people who did not visit art galleries. The discursive space for this type of art / photography is one which is still around through collectors and ironically has found its way into museums such as the Edinburgh Camera Obscurer to allow the public to admire the optical illusion of 3d view photography. Having looked through them at several images, agree with Krauss's comments about the enhanced viewing experience.

To search on Google (a modern discursive place developed after the article was written) for "Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake" takes 55 seconds and finds 16,880 results including several stereoscopic, sepia and black and white images. This is art in a public space which is not fixed to a gallery wall but still classified today as art. So perhaps in 1982, art had to be hung in a museum but now there are more modern methods of displaying art. Art also appears in newspapers; in fact most newspapers have cultural pages, and an article on O'Sullivan's landscapes appeared in the Daily Mail in 2012. 

Going back to Krauss's point about an oeuvre being a lifetime's work, she moves on to discuss an exhibition by Eugine Atget, a 19th century French photographer, whose lifetime of work was edited and displayed over 4 years at the Museum of Modern Art. She argues that 10,000 pieces of work were numbered by him and the code was broken by Maria Morris Hambourg, who worked for the museum.  Originally, I was confused by the point Krauss was trying to make.  Did Krauss see Atget as a View Maker who is making images as a representation of the landscape and culture around him and perhaps if he had narrowed his work down himself, she would see him as a photographer? However, in Szarowski's description of a photographer, Krauss concurs that Atget was self improving, revisiting his work and making more artistic representations of the same subjects so he fits into the category of an artist with an oeuvre. Papageorge, on the other hand takes issue with Krauss  as she states that Atget did not sift through his oeuvre of work, but I think he has misread what Krauss was trying to say. Krauss explores this in her essay by relating and expanding Szarovski's comments and making her own assumptions about Atget fitting into the genre of an artist.

Papageorge's essay, on the other hand, suggests that Krauss had missed the point of the exhibition of Atget's work at MoMA. He states that she visited the museum during the first year of a four year period. Krauss seems to understand the work of Atget, and Papageorge doesn't imply what she would miss, and as Atget was only part of the inclusion of Krauss's essay, I am not sure if the timing of the visit mattered too much? He argues that she would have learnt more biographical information and how he formed his ideas. Maybe Krauss felt she knew enough about Atget to include him at this point.  Papageorge implies that Krauss did not publish any further critiques on Atget. I don't see that this matters either. He questions the statement Krauss made about Atget having produced 10,000 pieces of work when he believes it was only 8500. I think it is still a large volume of work am not sure how critical an extra 1500 were. and perhaps this is Papageorge finding fault with Krauss.

In Krauss's essay the ideas are formed as an entirety, and though I found it difficult to read in the beginning, in my opinion she qualifies her statements. This essay was written 23 years ago and technology has changed since the first publication. Ideas change too and so does the way in which exhibitions are executed. So to answer the question of whether art belongs in a museum or a gallery, I think it is more about making it accessible to people and  so presentation does not have to be limited to a museum or art gallery. I have seen examples recently where art has been taken to the streets of Nottingham or presented on a billboard (see exhibitions - Les Monighan). 

In the beginning I was unclear over the terms of art gallery and museum - so I have defined an art gallery as a place where an artist displays his or her work with the intent to sell it. The artist works with the seller to enable them to understand the work so it can be sold on the artist's behalf to the collector who then understands it. In a museum, the art is displayed with a description. However, museums do run talks around the work or artist to the public, and a body of work or exhibition can be moved from one place to another. Atget's work was displayed in a museum (MoMA) although it is a contemporary museum and so I see why Krauss questioned whether a contemporary museum was the place to display 19th century photographs. 


Sources
Krauss, R (1982) Photography's discursive spaces Landscape/View, Art Journal Vol 42, No 4, The Crisis in the Discipline (Winter 1982) pp311-319

Papageorge,(2011) Core Curriculum,Writings on Photography,Eugine Atget, A photographer's tale, Aperture pp15-29

References
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/A/atget/atget_articles3.html accessed 27/3/15
http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3600 accessed 13/3/15

Bibliography
http://www.nga.gov/feature/atget/work.shtm accessed 13/3/15
http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Eugene-Atget.html 13/3/15
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149899/The-American-West-youve-seen-Amazing-19th-century-pictures-landscape-chartered-time.html accessed 27/3/15
Krauss, R (1982) Photography's discursive spaces Landscape/View, Art Journal Vol 42, No 4, The Crisis in the Discipline (Winter 1982) pp311-319
Papageorge,(2011) Core Curriculum,Writings on Photography,Eugine Atget, A photographer's tale, Aperture pp15-29
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/A/atget/atget_articles3.html accessed 27/3/15