Jacob
Stern
Photographing
the Urban
Professor
Borda
6/29/14
Pictorialism
Photography
Pictorialism
was an artistic movement in photography that arose in the 1860’s that came
largely as a response to the impressionism movement1. This new type
of photography valued the composition and atmosphere more than the subject and
allowed the pictorialist’s to make an artistic statement with their work2.
The work of the pictorialists brought photography away from its mechanistic
roots and gave it life as an art as photographers manipulated the physical
environment in which their pictures were taken or the film on which their pictures
were captured2. This new form of art sparked a revolution in
photography and remained significant for at least the next eighty years1.
To accomplish
the desired artistic effects a variety of methods were used including the use
of lenses, the physical scraping of the film, and the clever use of light,
shadow, and contrast. Pictorialists important to this folio include William
Dassonville and Fredrick Evans. As visible in figure 1, Fredrick Evans was an
early pictorialist who photographed many churches around France and England3.
While sometimes criticized by other pictorialists for taking too literal an
approach without enough manipulation, Evans, through a genius use of light and
shadow, achieves very interesting images. This contrast is complemented by the
work of William Dassonville, who used new photographic techniques to capture
both the countryside and the skylines of California4. His techniques
offered a new perspective on the city skylines, as is visible in figure 3, which
did not show the buildings as crisp and removes some of the mechanical look of
photography. The blurring of the buildings implies industrialization and provides
inspiration for this folio.
The
works in this folio were all shot in the urban environment in and around the
University of Glasgow, Scotland. Subjects include churches, light fixtures,
courtyards, and various towers around campus. These subjects were selected
because they are all of a similar age and architectural disposition, providing
a sense of unity to the folio in total.
To achieve
the desired images a variety of filters were used, as is visible in figure 2.
These filters included bubble wrap, red filter plastic, purple filter plastic,
a reflective multi-colored plastic, and a clear bag with a thin layer of soap
inside. These lenses were used in a variety of combinations to generate images
seen in figures 4 through 13.
There
is some variety in terms of the composition of the photographs: all are from a
perspective either below or even with the subject. Figures 5, 8, and 11 are asymmetrical while
figures 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13 are symmetrical. The symmetry of the photographs is significant
because it plays an important role in how photographs are interpreted by
shifting focus away from the largest object in the field towards smaller,
fixtures. The content of each frame is designed to limit the knowledge that can
be gained about the subject environment and include slightly blurred images
which offer largely decontextualized images. For example, in figures five and
eleven, the neoclassical architecture of the Wellington Church combined with
the purposeful vagueness of the images disguise the true location of the
photograph and allows the viewer to wonder where exactly the subject is. The
same is true of the gothic architecture present in the rest of the photographs.
Light
is another aspect which is critical to the quality of any photograph and has
been manipulated to create pictorialist photographs. The interplay between
outside and inside is most visible in figure eight, which was taken from deep
in the cloisters; the sunlight is bright outside the arches, drawing the eye
away from the center of the image. Another figure with interesting lighting is
figure nine, in which the light above the tower draws focus away from the light
post in the center of the image, which is left in darkness. The lighting in
every photograph is very important for setting the mood; particularly in
regards to the color of light being allowed to reach the film as decided by the
filters. The blue and purple images are much less intense than those filtered
through the red.
Pictorialist
photographers which influenced this folio include primarily William Dassonville
and Fredrick Evans through their photographing of the urban environment. Evans’
use of light and shadow to create amazing and pure images of his subjects
influenced both the choice of this folio’s subjects and their lighting.
Dassonville’s photographs inspired the blurred clarity visible throughout this
folio creating the desired timeless and decontextualized images.
Figure 1. Photograph by Fredrick H. Evans
Figure 2. Pictorialist filter set: bubble wrap, dark purple plastic, dark red plastic, reflective multi-colored plastic, and plastic bag filled with soap
Figure 3. Photograph by William Dassonville
Figure 4. Photograph of tower and light fixture at the University of Glasgow through soap and reflective lenses
Figure 5. Photograph of Wellington Church, Glasgow, through red and soap lenses
Figure 6. Courtyard at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses
Figure 7. Series of towers at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses
Figure 8. Cloisters at the University of Glasgow through red, reflective, and soap lenses
Figure 9. Large tower and light post at the University of Glasgow through reflective and bubble wrap lenses
Figure 10. Turret in a courtyard at the University of Glasgow through soap lens
Figure 11. Wellington Church, Glasgow, through soap and reflective lenses
Figure 12. Building at the University of Glasgow through red, purple, and soap lenses
Figure 13. Lamp post in courtyard at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses
Sources
1. Editors of Encyclopædia
Britannica. Pictorialism (photography).Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/752375/Pictorialism
2. Borda, S. Photographing
the Urban: Pictorialist Photography.Photographing the Urban: Pictorialist
Photography. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://urbanimagefotography.blogspot.co.uk/p/pictorialist-photography-overview.html
3. Coburn, A. (1953).
Fredrick Evans.Image, II(9), 58-63. Retrieved June
30, 2014, from http://image.eastmanhouse.org/files/GEH_1953_02_09.pdf
4. William Dassonville. (n.d.). Lee
Gallery: Biographies. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from
http://www.leegallery.com/william-dassonville/william-dassonville-biography
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