It is hard to trace the exact origin of landscape photography since the very first photography that we know of was taken in an urban landscape during 1826 or 1827 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. Then in 1935 the English scientist Henry Fox Talbot came into play with various photography innovations.
Traditions
Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on human-made features or disturbances of landscapes. Landscape photography is done for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most common is to recall a personal observation or experience while in the outdoors, especially when travelling.
According to records, the earliest known evidence of a landscape photograph was taken between the years of 1826 and 1827. It was an urban landscape photo taken by a French inventor by the name of Nicephore Niepce.
The first landscape photograph
Modern Landscapes
How have landscape photography evolved?
The first cameras used for landscapes were simple wooden boxes with a photosensitive material coating a plate. After some photographic innovation, view cameras became possible. These cameras are also known as large format cameras and are precision devices built to capture reality in a way no other camera can.
Landscape photography commonly involves daylight photography of natural features of land, sky and waters, at a distance—though some landscapes may involve subjects in a scenic setting nearby, even close-up, and sometimes at night.
When did the genre of landscapes begin?
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the tradition of depicting pure landscapes declined, and the landscape was seen only as a setting for religious and figural scenes. This tradition continued until the 16th century when artists began to view the landscape as a subject in its own right. In the Eastern tradition, the genre can be traced back to 4th-century-ce China.
Artists have been painting the landscape since ancient times. The Greeks and Romans created wall paintings of landscapes and gardenscapes. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the tradition of depicting pure landscapes declined, and the landscape was seen only as a setting for religious and figural scenes. This tradition continued until the 16th century when artists began to view the landscape as a subject in its own right. The artistic shift seems to have corresponded to a growing interest in the natural world sparked by the Renaissance.
The term “landscape” actually derives from the Dutch word landschap, which originally meant “region, tract of land” but acquired the artistic connotation, “a picture depicting scenery on land” in the early 1500s (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal. The development of the term in the Netherlands at this time was logical because the Netherlands was one of the first places that landscape had become a popular subject for painting. At this time, the rising Protestant middle class sought secular art for their homes, creating the need for new subjects to meet their tastes; landscapes helped fill this need.
Birth of the Classical Landscape
Landscape with a Calm, Nicolas Poussin, 1650–1651
In the 17th century the classical landscape was born.
VS
The Modern Landscape
Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1889
The 19th century held many milestones for the history of landscape art. As the Industrial Revolution altered the traditions of rural life, the old hierarchy of subjects crumbled.
Comparison
Within these two famous paintings, you can instantly tell they are significantly different and have impactful contrasting qualities to one another but also similar. One similar quality they both have is they are both inspired by beautiful things. However the classic landscape contains man-made and is influenced by by classical antiquity and contains a ” rich” part of the land. Arcadia, a legendary place in ancient Greece known for its quiet pastoral beauty. In a classical landscape the positioning of objects was contrived; every tree, rock, or animal was carefully placed to present a harmonious, balanced, and timeless mood. This painting is also painted to look realistic and natural. Whereas, the modern landscape is not-man made and is natural in a different sense however is purposefully painted to look fake as if it has been painted. This creates a large contrast between the two. The modern landscape also only contains one natural object rather than multiple therefore you are only looking at one thing as there is no more eye catching objects.
Photography and the 20th-Century Landscape
In the early 20th century, painters continued to embrace the landscape. As photography gained acceptance as an art form, artists used the medium to create interpretations of the land through pictorialist effects and, later, through formal compositions of close-up, cropped views of the landscape. In America, photographer Ansel Adams captured the country’s attention with his breathtaking views of the wild beauty of the American West. Even though the major artistic movements of the mid-20th century were no longer dominated by the landscape as a subject, the genre’s importance continued as artists responded to fears of increased industrialization, the threat of global destruction, and ecological disasters.
In the second half of the 20th century, the definition of landscape was challenged and pressed to include concepts like urban landscapes, cultural landscapes, industrial landscapes, and landscape architecture. Landscape photography continued to evolve and rise in popularity. American photographers like Robert Adams and William A. Garnett used the medium to raise awareness of conservation concerns. Today, the landscape continues to be a subject artists turn to when contemplating the ways we relate to the places where we live and the impact we as humans have on the land.
SUBLIME IN ART
What is Sublime? Sublime is the quality of greatness beyond all measure. The Sublime is a western aesthetic concept of ‘the exalted’ of ‘beauty that is grand and dangerous’. The Sublime refers to the wild, unbounded grandeur of nature. Sometimes, we photograph things that are awe-inspiring and not necessarily beautiful.
The sublime is both beautiful and terrifying in its power or potential darkness. Artists explored the sublime in depth through art using paintings and drawings of the imagination, however they could often turn into nightmares. Natural landscapes were mighty and nice to look at and people admired the aesthetics but they were always dangerous.
Ansel Adams’ photographs of towering mountains and canyons are arguably major expressions, exemplars and evokers of the sublime in photography. The sublime involves the formlessness of uplifting spectacles and produces feelings of awe and terror.
Humans subconsciously connect to nature as we admire it as we live in it however this contrasts as we also mistakenly destroy it e.g. by polluting the air, cutting down trees and leaving litter around. Us as humans are not grateful enough for the nature that we are given although we admire it. This is a large contrast within how we feel vs what we do which creates a significant debate.
Within this image, there is a disaster however it is sublime. The natural and non-man made objects are beautiful but the concept within its self is not but it is however grand. The clouds and other images are beautiful no matter the context. This makes it sublime
FAMOUS IMAGES
Richard Wilson 1713–1782
ROMANTISM
The Age of Romanticism (1800-1900ish)
Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Travel to the turn of the 19th century to experience the Romantic musical, literary, and artistic movement.
Romanticism is an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. For most of the Western world, it was at its peak from approximately 1800 to 1850.
How did romanticism change art? Along with plumbing emotional and behavioural extremes, Romantic artists expanded the repertoire of subject matter, rejecting the didacticism of Neoclassical history painting in favour of imaginary and exotic subjects. Orientalism and the worlds of literature stimulated new dialogues with the past as well as the present.
Today, Romanticism can be found in a wide cross-section of film, television, literature, music, and art. Whether it is a focus on the eternal power of nature or an audience’s visceral reaction to a particular medium, contemporary society is ripe with Romance in the Romantic sense.
Romantic artists often sought to capture the moods, feelings, and emotions of their subjects, using expressive compositions, vivid colors, and dramatic contrasts of light and dark. Nature was another important theme in Romantic art, with many artists exploring the beauty and power of the natural world.
There are strong echoes of Romanticism in contemporary concerns about the environment and the need to appreciate and preserve it. Romantics also embraced the foreign and the exotic, especially eliciting an interest in Orientalism, and this too affected the history of art.
The Industrial Revolution 1760-1840 was based upon the efficient exploitation of nature’s raw materials and labour as new scientific theories developed by the Enlightenment thinkers were quickly transformed into practical, money-making applications.
Within this image, personally I think in adobe Lightroom my editing went well. The shadows are visible and play a large factor in this image and I prefer this lighting technique (chiaroscuro) and glad I chose to execute this technique as it creates a sense of mysterious, gentle and beauty which is a big part of femininity. I like how I used warm tones to make it look vintage and not modern although it was shot on a modern camera I tried my best. I decreased the texture and clarity to create a soft focus and more professional look to the image which links to Cameron’s work. I preferred using a black background as it makes the subjects left side of the face unable to see as the way she is standing you would, this emphasizes the shadows and technique I chose to do to create it almost the first thing to notice as a viewer. Then I continued on photoshop and created another layer with the same image and turned it upside down and experimented with the highlights and filters. When I found the correct one for me I loved the way it looks purposely imperfect which could imply that females and males have a pressure to reach expectations but we are all imperfect and make mistakes. To make this image better I would move the first split/line more to the left to make the image equal in thirds. To experiment I tried to blend the images however I didn’t like it as much as it didn’t give off the same abstract effect.
I personally prefer this image in colour as it shows my editing to make it look more vintage using warm tones so it looks more like Cameron’s work as well. However I am going to experiment by putting my image in black and white so it resembles Sherman’s famous image.
Similarities and differences
In Cindy’s work she is standing in a towel which ultimately looks very feminine and vulnerable which is typically a feminine stereotype. However, as seen the subject has her arm up with her fingers which gives off a elegant and gentle look to the image meaning viewing herself in the mirror with draw catching eyes. This is similar to my work as the subject in the mirror has her arm up however holding a prop which could link to Sherman’s work. Another contrast is how Sherman is in a w towel which is a large factor to the image whereas the subject in my image is wearing black which would make the viewer look more at the face rather than the body as the background is black. A major difference is my subject in my image is not a full body shot whereas Sherman’s work is. Sherman’s work also contains depth in the shadows of her image where as mine does not as it is through a mirror completely. Lastly the subject in Sherman’s image is looking through the reflection same as my image however not looking into the camera through it. Whereas, my image the subject is looking through the camera giving more a seductive and confident look.
Julia Margaret Cameron
Cameron’s image
My image
Similarities and differences
A major eye catching similarity is the lighting. Within my image I used Chiaroscuro lighting to emphasize the beauty of femininity. This relates to Marilyn Monroe as a character as my inspiration. Cameron’s image has a soft focus in the centre and high exposure on the right side of the subjects face however that is what she was known for and was good at. We both used a black background to blend in other features which could make it look mysterious as without a background the image cannot say a lot. I edited my image to make it look vintage and sort of a rusty colour which I executed through using warm tones and a warm feathered boarder which Cameron successfully did too.
This image is too suppose to contrast the image and the stereotypes itself. As the subject in the image is applying red lipstick which is representing bold and confident as a women whilst viewing themselves in the reflection. This significantly contrasts to the stereotypes around her as a female as this is significantly the opposite to the results of red lipstick. Therefore, this piece is a juxtaposition as it is 2 different things contrasting one another. This relates to Monroe’s work from using the props and Claude and Sherman’s work as they used a mirror within femininity which could represent vulnerability.
PRESENTATION
I personally like both of these images however I prefer the second one as it has a more blended look of the two photo combination. Therefore, it generally has more of a cleaner and professional look to the image. However, the first image has 2 lines with different colours and highlights between them which I think looks quite abstract and different but purposely not perfect.
Virtual Gallery/ Presentation
I chose these photos as they were personally edited the best or the most unique. They were suppose to look vintage and old so it is inspired by Julia Margaret Cameron and Marilyn Monroe so they do not look modern. The mirror was inspired by Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun however the props were an inspiration from Monroe and edited like Cameron.
Julia Margaret Cameron was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century .She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorian men and women, for illustrative images depicting characters from mythology, Christianity, and literature, and for sensitive portraits of men, women and children.
After showing a keen interest in photography for many years, Cameron took up the practice at the relatively late age of 48, after her daughter gave her a camera as a present. She quickly produced a large body of work capturing the genius, beauty, and innocence of the men, women, and children who visited her studio at Freshwater, and created unique allegorical images inspired by tableaux vivants, theatre, 15th-century Italian painters, and the work of her creative contemporaries. Her photography career was short but productive; she made around 900 photographs over a 12-year period.
Cameron’s work was contentious in her own time. Critics derided her softly focused and unrefined images, and considered her illustrative photographs amateurish and hammy. However, her portraits of respected men (such as Henry Taylor, Charles Darwin, and Sir John Herschel) have been consistently praised, both in her own life and in reviews of her work since. Her images have been described as “extraordinarily powerful” and “wholly original”, and she has been credited with producing the first close-ups in the history of the medium.
Why was Cameron’s work criticised?
Her talent, however, left her known as one the greatest photographers in history. Still, many of Cameron’s contemporaries considered her work to be inept, for it was blurry, smudged and scratched, and instead they believed that the best photography should be about technical perfections superseding all artistic intent.
The statement ‘Julia Margaret Cameron accidentally created soft-focus photographs’ is true due to her technical inexperience. She later embraced and intentionally used this soft-focus technique, significantly impacting portrait photography.
PHOTO ANAYLYSIS
The Red Roses ( 1865)
The meaning of this picture is ambiguous as the red roses of the title are not clearly identifiable. In the Victorian Language of flowers, red and white roses signified unity, discernible here in the closeness of sisters Kate and Elizabeth Keown. The hands clasped in prayer evoke Christian iconography, where red roses stand for martyrdom and white for purity. Cameron often borrowed many of her subjects from religion, history and literature. One of her famous images is ‘ My Grandchild, 1865’
In this image, Cameron transforms a portrait of her grandson asleep into the study of Madonna and her Child. Making this image simultaneously a religious study and a family portrait.
Madonna and Child was painted by one of the most influential artists of the late 13th and early 14th century, Duccio di Buoninsegna. This iconic image of the Madonna and Child, seen throughout the history of western art, holds significant value in terms of stylistic innovations of religious subject matter that would continue to evolve for centuries.
This lyrical work inaugurates the tradition in Italian art of envisioning the Madonna and Child in terms appropriated from real life. The Christ Child gently pushes away the veil of his mother, whose sorrowful expression reflects her foreknowledge of his crucifixion.
The word Madonna means “My Lady” in Italian.
This painting from the late 13th century by Italian painter Duccio di Buoninsega, in contrast, expresses the emotions of love and tenderness between mother and child. The infant Jesus returns the Madonna’s placid but intense gaze.
MOODBOARD
MY WORK INSPIRED BY CAMERON
I edited these images to creative a less detailed focus in the centre surrounded by a feathered border with warm tones to create a vintage and old look so it fit Cameron’s work in the 19th century. I kept the portraits more focused around the outside like Cameron’s work although she got criticized for it but ended up embracing it and in my opinion I think it makes the image look a lot more elegant and gentle which is a typical female stereotype.
Firstly, I edited the image all in light room to begin, to edit it for it to look vintage and nostalgic so it does not look modern. Therefore, I added some warm tones with a dusty looking border feathering the edge.
The main factor of this image is the red lipstick as it is a main subject which draws to the eye meanwhile having women’s rights movement connected and Marilyn’s large factor. As well as the red lipstick stereotypes as confident and bold. Therefore meaning, I cannot put this image in black and white as it defeats the whole purpose of the image. This isn’t my favourite image as it has a pink undertone and that is not my preferred aim.
The Jewellery of this image also creates a sense of femininity especially the pearl necklace as it relates to my inspiration Monroe as she was known and wore pearl necklaces frequently.
IMAGE 2
I personally chose this image as we are using the prop of red lipstick and a stereotype of red lipstick is confident and seductive and in this image the subject looks both of the stereotypes. Another reason why I chose this image is Marilyn was seen as a sex symbol and a seductive blonde and I think this image perfectly relates to the seductive and beauty look within femininity.
IMAGE 3
I chose this image as the subject of the image is pouting which is a very feminine act or pose. The subject also has very enhanced cheek bones which could be seen as feminine however can also be masculine. The subjects eyes are looking away which is a main factor and draw catching to the image. The eyes are very detailed and feminine as well as the long blonde hair.
IMAGE 4
Further more, I chose this image as it is using Chiaroscuro lighting and as you cant see the rest of the face because of the lighting and shadows it could be seen as mysterious. The hair and the gleam in the subjects eye is seen as beauty which is a femininity stereotype. I edited it to look vintage and old using warm tones like Julia Margaret Cameron. I could relate this image as Cameron’s work instead of Monroe’s as this is a self portrait and does not contain the main factors to make it a Marilyn photo.
Image 5
I used this image as it also is using Chiaroscuro lighting and the jewellery and the red nails create a sense of bold, confident and feminine.
IMAGE 6
I chose this image as it is different to the others and gives variety. This image is seen to be feminine through the jewellery and perfume. Even the collar bones could be seen feminine.
IMAGE 7
I chose this image as the image is using Chiaroscuro lighting and the subject is looking away whilst smiling which ultimately looks elegant and gentle which is a female stereotype. I edited this image tom look vintage as Monroe was in the 50’s so I want them all to come out not looking modern. This relates to Julia Margaret Cameron’s images as she did pictorialism in the 19th century.
I then decided to experiment and add red highlights which I thought looked cool however it didn’t fit with my inspirations and themes so I decided not to keep it that way.
Firstly, we went to the studio with our props such as red lipstick and pearls as they are a large factor and characteristic of Marilyn. Monroe was known as a ” dumb blonde” and seen as the sex symbol in the 50s. People had eventually mistaken her and actually saw her as that role which eventually sadly got to Marilyn including personal problems. We decided she would be perfect inspiration as she is a female misunderstood before the women’s rights movement as unfortunately passed just before. If we highlighted her key features it could resemble her however in a more modern way. We then used a mirror as Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman also used one to resemble in different ways femininity.
I firstly flagged and rejected all my images so I can easily organize the possibility of the images I may or may not use and edit. Roughly we created around 250 images.
PHOTOSHOOT
PLAN
My plan is to choose around 8 of my favourite images and edit them in light room first, then move on to photoshop and create some sort of creative collage with different aspects of femininity whilst still relating them to Monroe. My plan is to make my images look as vintage and nostalgic as much as possible as if they look old. This could resemble it a lot more as then it would resemble and highlight her characteristics a lot more.
IMAGE SELECTION
Furthermore, I picked my favourite 8 images and flagged them green so I can easily find and compare my favourite images to ensure they are my preferred ones.
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model and singer. Known for playing comic “blonde bombshell” characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era’s sexual revolution.
Monroe portrayed an early image as a dumb and seductive blonde. Her early image as a dumb and seductive blonde gave way in later years to the tragic figure of a sensitive and insecure woman unable to escape the pressures of Hollywood. Her vulnerability and sensuousness combined with her needless death eventually raised her to the status of an American cultural icon.
The most famous movie where Marilyn portrayed a dumb blonde was ‘ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ made in 1953 this was the film that Marilyn Monroe debuted the gold digging dumb blonde character that she would ascend to icon status with and, eventually, come to hate.
Unfortunately, the Hollywood professional and tragic personal struggles caused a ‘probable suicide’ at the age of 36 in 1962.
MOODBOARD
Monroe often wore pearls which ultimately became a part of her and would think of her with them. Marilyn and pearls associated together. Pearls are a very feminine piece of jewellery especially in the 50’s. This simple pearl necklace became her most famous piece of jewellery. Monroe wore them throughout her life as a reminder of ‘happier times’.
Marilyn also often wore red lipstick. This was probably too look like her role as a seductive blonde as the colour red symbolizes bold and confident and is an eye catching colour.
“It falls under the umbrella of power posing. The act of putting it on penetrates your sense of confidence and competence. It changes how you feel, which can change how people react to you and thus reaffirms your choice.” Throughout history, women have chosen red lipstick as a way to signal their power. Red lip colour gained popularity internationally as women’s rights movements spread worldwide. Red lipstick has been a symbol of feminism since the 19th century when it was popularized by the Suffragettes as a way to make a statement and express their desire for equal rights. The use of red lipstick was also seen during the Civil Rights Movement as a way of expressing solidarity with other feminists.
The impact was in her achievement to keep together things that are often thought to be incompatible: her ambition, her idealism, her femininity, and her striving for independence. She inspired, from both men and women, a lot of strong personal feelings, a lot of love.
My Plan
Our plan to successfully achieve Marilyn’s Monroe aesthetic is to associate little details to try create a similar vibe for the 50’s. This may be a bit difficult as we are living in the modern day however we could attempt to edit them to make them look more nostalgic and vintage. We will be including Marilyn’s large factors such as red lipstick and a pearl necklace too symbolize that sense of ‘dumb blonde’ and the femininity characteristics as Marilyn was in fact a role model and was a feminist but sadly passed before the women’s right movement. Lastly, we will be attempting to pose how Marilyn did but still using day to day outfits as the most eye catching subjects was the seductive look of red lip stick and pearls rather than her outfits. We also will be using a mirror to contrast to Cahun’s and Sherman’s work to focus on emotions and vulnerability.
Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.
At the age of thirteen Francesca Woodman took her first self-portrait. From then, up until her untimely death in 1981, aged just 22, she produced an extraordinary body of work. Comprising some 800 photographs, Woodman’s oeuvre is acclaimed for its singularity of style and range of innovative techniques. From the beginning, her body was both the subject and object in her work.
Although she died very young, there is no denying that Woodman was one of the most innovative and promising artists of her generation. She pushed the boundaries of experimental photography and played with the potential of shutter speed and exposure.
The very first photograph taken by Woodman, Self-portrait at Thirteen, 1972, shows the artist sitting at the end of a sofa in an un-indentified space, wearing an oversized jumper and jeans, arm loosely hanging on the armrest, her face obscured by a curtain of hair and the foreground blurred by sudden movement, one hand holding a cable linked to the camera. In this first image the main characteristics at the core of Woodman’s short career are clearly visible, her focus on the relationship with her body as both the object of the gaze and the acting subject behind the camera.
Woodman tested the boundaries of bodily experience in her work and her work often suggests a sense of self-displacement. Often nude except for individual body parts covered with props, sometimes wearing vintage clothing, the artist is typically sited in empty or sparsely furnished, dilapidated rooms, characterised by rough surfaces, shattered mirrors and old furniture. In some images Woodman quite literally becomes one with her surroundings, with the contours of her form blurred by movement, or blending into the background, wallpaper or floor, revealing the lack of distinction of both – between figure and ground, self and world. In others she uses her physical body literally as a framework in which to create and alter her material identity. For instance, holding a sheet of glass against her flesh, squeezing her body parts against the glass and smashing her face, breasts, hips, buttocks and stomach onto the surface from various angles, Woodman distorts her physical features making them appear grotesque.
PHOTO ANAYLSIS
This image has very similarities to Claude Cahun’s work as they both signify characteristics of feminine and in the mirror looking at there reflections would could symbolize a lot especially about emotions which is a typical female stereotype.
The major difference is that the subject in the image is not looking at their reflection compared to Woodman’s work. This could signify that Sherman’s work is implying that females are emotional and sensitive whereas Cahun’s work could imply that beauty does not control femininity. Another major difference is that Sherman’s work is that the subject has no clothes, in a sense this could imply vulnerability but also a strong sense of femininity.
