MODERNISM

Time period: Early 1900’s – 1960’s

Key characteristics/ conventions : Modern Photography is distinguished by a departure from the language and constraints of traditional art, such as painting, and this change in attitude was mirrored by changes in practice. Photographers started using the camera as a direct tool rather than manipulating images to conform to traditional notions of artistic beauty; a convention associated most with pictorialism.

Artists associated: Paul Strand, Ansel Adams

Key works:

Methods/ techniques/ processes: social, political and aesthetic potential, experimenting with light, perspective and developing, as well as abstraction.

POST-MODERNISM

Time period: 1970’s – Present; A rise in consumerism.

Key characteristics/ conventions : Mix of different styles, approaches and art movements. The works favor context and refer to different areas outside of the works themselves. The idea matters more than the work of art itself. The growth of consumerism and instant gratification over the last few decades of the 20th century has also had a huge impact on visual art. Consumers now want novelty. They also want entertainment and spectacle. In response, many postmodernist artists, curators and other professionals have taken the opportunity to turn art into an “entertainment product”.

Artists associated: Andreas Gursky, Jeff Wall, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Cindy Sherman.

Key works:

Methods/ techniques/ processes: incorporating elements of popular culture as the subject of the image, making use of eclecticism (using a range of sources to take inspiration/ideas from), using collaboration (multiple people working together to focus on the collective effort rather than an individuals contributions to an image), emphasizes context and concept in the subjects, rather than the physical objects, makes use of multimedia (using different medium in order to express an idea).

Plan a response: make use of popular culture, use this as the context for the image – make use of a range of sources (e.g take inspiration from post-modernist artists and influences), make use of multimedia (e.g text within the image), all aspects linked together to portray a concept/emphasize the context/background of the subjects in the image, rather than just the appearance/use subjects themselves

Postmodernism can be seen as a reaction against the ideas and values of modernism, as well as a description of the period that followed modernism's dominance in cultural theory and practice in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century. The term is associated with skepticism, irony and philosophical critiques of the concepts of universal truths and objective reality. Postmodern art questions the notion of authenticity and embraces 'hybridity’, blurring the lines between high art and popular culture. Postmodern photographers are particularly interested in the selective, constructed nature of the photograph. Artists like Cindy Sherman, Barbera Kruger, Edgar Degas and Pablo Picasso are well known post modernist artists. 

Jeff Wall

Jeff Wall is a Canadian born, Vancouver based photographer who specializes in back lit tableaux photographs of the city of Vancouver itself. Wall studied at the University of British Colombia and graduated with a masters degree in photography in 1970. In the same year he relocated to London to study for a post graduate degree at the courtyard institute, studying with Manet expert T.J Clark. He then went on to become the Assistant professor at Nova Scotia college of Art and Design from 1974-1975 and he then became the associate professor at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia from 1976-1987 whilst also teaching at The University of British Columbia.

Wall is renowned for his tableaux reconstructions of scenarios he had witnessed himself that were representative of the political environment at the time. His photos are always back lit and in a cinematographic style, Depicting more of a story through this means. Due to his tableaux style, His shoots often consisted of many people such as cast, crew as well as digital post production workers. Almost all of his shoots are centered around suburban Vancouver, world renowned for the relationship between the suburban environment and the rural environment. Many of the suburban areas have mountainous backdrops and are bordered by forests as well as having a substantial amount of urban architecture, which Wall finds to be a great way of providing contrast within an image.

Image Analysis

The lighting in this image is warm and dull which is diffused throughout the bright-walled room. All the colours within the room are neutrals apart from what the people are wearing; this contrast is showing the difference in interest during this candid conversation. Also, reflected within the images is the photographers decision to stand in the middle to make an emphasis on the split of connection. The overall composition of the image is an uncomfortable feeling of divide and the conflict of interest reflected in the lines and colours that oppose to the human figures.

Art Movements & Isms

PICTORIALISM

Time period : 1880s-1920s

Key characteristics/ conventions

From the 1880s and onwards photographers strived for photography to be art by trying to make pictures that resembled paintings e.g. manipulating images in the darkroom, scratching and marking their prints to imitate the texture of canvas, using soft focus, blurred and fuzzy imagery based on allegorical and spiritual subject matter, including religious scenes.

Pictorialism reacted against mechanization and industrialisation. They abhorred the snapshot and were also dismayed at the increasing industrial exploitation of photography and practices that pandered to a commercial and professional establishment. The Pictorialists championed evocative photographs and individual expression and they constructed their images looking for harmony of matter, mind and spirit; the first was addressed through objective technique and process, the second in a considered application of the principles of composition and design, and the last by the development of a subjective and spiritual motive.

Artists associated

Julia Margaret Cameron (one of the first socially accepted photographers during this period) – Peter Henry Emerson ‘naturalistic photography’ – book he wrote on the romanticism of photography with rural landscapes and figures within landscapes – The Vienna camera club (Austria) – The brotherhood of the linked ring (London) – Photo secession (New York)

Key works

Julia Margaret Cameron was a photographer in the Victorian era. The bulk of Cameron’s photographs fit into two categories – closely framed portraits and illustrative allegories based on religious and literary works. In the allegorical works in particular, her artistic influence was clearly Pre-Raphaelite, with far-away looks and limp poses and soft lighting. Cameron’s photographs were unconventional in their intimacy and their particular visual habit of created blur through both long exposures, where the subject moved and by leaving the lens intentionally out of focus. – Peter Henry Emerson – In 1889 Peter Henry Emerson (1856-1936) expounded his theory of Naturalistic Photography which the Pictorialist used to promote photography as an art rather than science. Their handcrafted prints were in visual opposition to the sharp b/w contrast of the commercial print.

REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Time period: 1920s

Key characteristics/ conventions

Went back to photography origins, with detail and purpose not recreating paintings. (closely associated with ‘straight photography’) photography grew up with claims of having a special relationship to reality, and its premise, that the camera’s ability to record objectively the actual world as it appears in front of the lens was unquestioned. This supposed veracity of the photographic image has been challenged by critics as the photographer’s subjectivity (how he or she sees the world and chooses to photograph it) and the implosion of digital technology challenges this notion opening up many new possibilities for both interpretation and manipulation. A belief in the trustworthiness of the photograph is also fostered by the news media who rely on photographs to show the truth of what took place.

Artists associated

Paul Strand – Walker Evans

Key works

Dorothea Lange – Lewis W Hine

Modernism:

Modernsim was a movement in art, literature and architecture that reacted to the intense changes in technology, society and culture at the time. It rejected the dominance of older movements such as Naturalism and was in favour of new experimental ways of producing art.

Paul Strand was an American photographer who helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century. His pictorial studies followed by coolly seductive machine photographs helped define early American modernism.

Post-Modernism:

Postmodernism was created through the dismantling of the modernism movement. Modernism was generally based on idealism and a Utopian version of human life and society and a belief in progress, whereas Postmodernism was born of skepticism and suspicion of reason. It challenged the notion that there are universal certainties or truths. Most art which can be included in this movement refers to things outside of the art world such as social and cultural issues, and looks at the importance of context behind a picture. A photographer which can be related to this movement is Cindy Sherman.

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer best known for her socially critical photography and feminist artwork. She uses makeup, costumes and stage scenery to create tableaus of situations to challenge modern concepts, mainly about the roles of women within society. A lot of her work can be considered postmodernism as the context behind her images are just as important as the work itself.

Modernism

The time period which modernism became a period of experimentation was during the late 19th to the mid 20th century and was mostly popular in the years after World War One.

Key Characteristics- Modernism is the art movement which associates with cultural trends and changes which came from the transformations in Western society during the late 19th century. There are different modern-isms which are often incompatible and they reject the dominance of older movements such as Naturalism, Classicism as well as Academicism which is done in the favor of producing art. It inspires all aspects of society in its cultural form through Architecture, Painting, Photography and Fiction, this is because it is characterized intellectually. Photography was invented as part of the process of modernization which took place in the industrial revolution. It is known as a modern form of image making which helps the development of modernism.

Key Conventions- Modernism can be done through other smaller projects such as straight photography and realism. Straight photography was used by photographers who believed in intrinsic qualities and provided accurate/ descriptive records of the visual world. They aimed the make images which were photographic rather than painterly as they didn’t want to treat photography as a type of paining such as monochrome. Because of this they used handwork and soft focus in a wide depth-of-field. In addition to this, Realism is associated very closely to straight photography as it is taking images while trying to recreate the image you see in front of you, therefore showing it has a relationship towards reality and shows a cameras ability to capture the world as it appears.

Artists Associated

• Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946)- He was influenced by European avant-garde art movements as images in this range included underlying abstract geometric forms. Stiegliz took an image called ‘The Steerage’ which wasn’t up to Pictorialism’s aesthetic which was then therefore qualified to go into the ‘Straight Photography Means’.

• Alexander Rodchenko, Russian, 1891-1956- Rodchenko worked on a new aesthetic vision using extreme viewpoints through their photography and graphic design. They rejected illusions so that photographic representation could be um problematic aspects of reality.

Key Works

Methods/ Techniques/ Processes- Black and white edits are used for emphasis, sharp focus images in order for them to be seen clearly, as well as a large frame size.

PostModernism

Post Modernism was first discovered through ‘Pop Art’ in the 1960s which was then developed into the aspect we know now which was made in the 1970s.

Key Characteristics/ Conventions- Postmodernism is known to be a reaction against ideas as well as values of modernism. The term of modernism’s dominance in cultural theory is associated with irony and philosophical concepts of universal truths. There is a known distinction between high and low art which incorporate popular elements making the overall postmodernism. Key conventions of postmodernism makes references towards outside art work which adds to the contextual work.

Artists Associated

• Cindy Sherman (1977-1980)- Photographs are taken from videos and she untitled films in order to showcase female stereotypes and feminism.
• Barbera Kruger (1945)- She is seen challenging cultural stereotypes and her work is displayed through the use of posters.

Key Works

Methods/ Techniques/ Processes- Photographs are usually blown hip, edited, cropped etc to be used used in newspapers and billboards. Others use repetition to create emphasis on the image.

Pictorialism

Pictorialism was created first in 1880 but flourished during the period of 1885- 1915 and it overall refers to style and aesthetic movements. It is the approach to photography which shows the beauty of the subject as well as the composition which creates the feel that it isn’t reality. It also refers to the style in which the photographer has manipulated an image, meaning its a created image.

Key Characteristics/Conventions- The people who first came up with the overall idea of this subject matter wanted their photographic work to be related closely to art and drawing, therefore they created techniques which made images look like paintings when they were taking the photograph eg, taking images in darkrooms, blurry/fuzzed images, soft focus, markings on canvas which all are based on religious scenes. Pictorialism also dismays the industrial exploitation of photography which connects to professional establishment. Following this, the photographs give individual expressions.

Artists Associated

• Julia Margaret Cameron- She was a photographer in the Victoria era and she is known for her closely framed portraits and illustrative/ religious works. Her photographs are unconventional and have a particular created blur through long exposures.
• Sally Mann (1951)- She creates haunting images which represents the loss of life. She includes a lot of darkness in her mixed landscape and portrait images which explores the divide between body and souk, and life and death. This is clearly shown in her images of decomposing bodies and portraits of her children.
• Peter Henry Emerson (1856-1936)- He has a theory of Naturalistic Photography which the subject of Pictorialism used to promote photography as an overall art. He handcrafted the prints in a visual form.

Key works

Methods/ techniques/ processes- The first technique being putting Vaseline on the camera lens which created a smudge allowing a symbolic meaning to do with religion. This is also an example of pictorial photographs lacking sharp focus, creating its overall style. Some work as groups to create more ideas, not very good quality cameras are used as they intend a blur anyway.

Realism/Straight Photography

Photo-Realism photography first began in the 1920s and became extremely popular in the 1960s as it became more well known and took overall photography as an inspiration. Photographers who photograph realist images are called ‘Photo- Realists’ and they are people who created high quality images which are illusionistic and reproduce the original image.

Key Characteristics/Conventions- Realism is known as a style of photography which creates an image for what it is, a pure documentary style. It is a very accurate and doesn’t have any metaphorical manners as it focuses on real people in their natural situations. The photographers who capture these moments use sharp focus techniques and use a wide depth of field in order to capture the whole scene, representing the realistic side. In relation, Straight Photography is closely associated with Realism and these photographers believe in intrinsic qualities and it has an ability to provide records of the visual world through descriptive aspects.

A smaller group in the subject of Realism, ‘Social Reform Photography’ which is when people photograph the conditions in which people live in and represents how different it is to a ‘average’ persons living way.

Artists Associated

• Walker Evens (1903-1975)- Evens was a documentary photographer in the 20th century who previously rejected Pictorialism as he wanted to create new photographic art which has an obscure look. He photographed several families who work on different farms to represent their uniforms, backgrounds/ living environments. He also made a book which shows all the different families in comparison.
• Alfrid Stieglitz- He tells images through a story through capturing images of immigrants in abstract pictures.

Key Works

Methods/ techniques/ processes- There is a constant use of a sharp focus which allows for the image being taken to be seen in detail, this also represents the ‘Realism’ aspect in detail. A wide depth of field is also seen the be used which again, shows the realism. The use of environmental photography is supporting the overall role.