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The First Modernist Photo?
The First Modernist Photo?
Modernist & Abstract Intro
Modernist & Abstract Intro
"Abstract Photography challenges our popular view of photography as an objective image of reality by reasserting its constructed nature...Freed from its duty to represent, abstract photography continues to be a catchall genre for the blending of mediums and disciplines. It is an area to test photography" - Barbara Kasten.
The Art Story (n.d) 'Abstract Photography' URL
Modernism was a movement that spanned art, architecture, and literature, emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in response to rapid societal, technological, and cultural changes. It rejected the past, including the ideals of realism, and sought new ways to understand and express the complexities of the modern world, including through abstract art and experimental photography.
Photographers like Max Dupain and Olive Cotton captured the rapid pace of urban environments, while others, like László Moholy-Nagy and Edward Weston, used abstraction to challenge perceptions. Meanwhile, photographers like Albert Renger-Patzsch and August Sander focused on documenting reality objectively. As modernism progressed, technological advances and art movements like Futurism and Cubism influenced photographic experimentation, with artists using new techniques like prisms and multiple exposures. By the mid-20th century, photography had become a key tool for exploring human perception and the subconscious, moving beyond simple documentation to reflect the dynamic and fragmented world. Through abstraction and new techniques, modernist photographers created visual languages to capture the experience of modernity.
Albert Renger-Patzsch, Euphorbia Grandicornis (1921-25)
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, An Outline of the Universe (1930)
Grit Kallin-Fischer, Untitled (1930)
Edward Weston, Dunes Oceano (1936)
Olive Cotton, Only to Taste the Warmth, the Light, the Wind (1939)
Affect of Technology
Affect of Technology
New inventions like the 35mm camera helped photographers capture the fast pace of life in cities and the feeling of being disconnected from others. Artists stopped focusing on realistic images and started using abstract forms to show emotions and new ways of seeing things. Photographers experimented with different techniques to express the confusion and excitement of the time, reflecting both progress and the feeling of disconnection in society.
Paul Strand, Porch Shadows (1916)
László Moholy-Nagy, Photogram (1926)
Edward Weston, Cabbage Leaf (1931)
Harry Callahan, New York City (1974)
Invaluable (n.d) 'Abstract Photography: Famous Artists, Examples, and Techniques' URL
William Klein, Atom Bomb Sky, New York (1955)
Modernist & Abstract Techniques
Modernist & Abstract Techniques
Instead of realistic depictions, many photographers sought to represent feelings, emotions, or ideas through abstract forms and compositions.
The development of the 35mm camera in 1925 allowed for faster, more spontaneous photography, influencing photojournalism, street photography, and capturing modern life in dynamic ways.
Photographers often used off-center or unbalanced arrangements to create tension and draw attention to specific elements of the image.
Images were sometimes framed unusually or presented in ways that broke away from traditional photographic formats.
Abstract techniques were used to communicate feelings, ideas, or concepts, encouraging the viewer to engage with the image on a more emotional or intellectual level.
Photographers used angles, shapes, and patterns to create abstract compositions that emphasised the geometry of everyday objects.
Some photographers used strong colours or worked in black and white to create mood and highlight contrasts in their images.
Subjects were often reduced to their simplest forms, removing unnecessary detail to focus on the essential elements of the scene.
Traditional perspectives were altered, with photographers experimenting with unusual viewpoints and angles to challenge how space was perceived.
Photographers explored the textures of surfaces and materials, often focusing on abstract qualities like light and shadow.
Modernist VS Pictorialism
Modernist VS Pictorialism
TW: Nudity in this video
Modernist & Abstract Ongoing
Modernist & Abstract Ongoing
Modern and abstract photography continue to influence how photographers approach their work today by encouraging them to go beyond traditional ways of representing the world. Now, both fine art and commercial photographers use these ideas to focus more on emotion, unique perspectives, and telling stories through their images. As a result, photographers are able to share their personal views and ideas, making photography a powerful tool for expressing complex thoughts and feelings.
Tech Keeps Shaping Photography
Tech Keeps Shaping Photography
The interesting relationship between technology developing allowing for different mediums and techniques in photography as well as having widespread social impact that artists and photographers reflect on continues all the time.
1995-
2005
1995-
2005
michimadeboutique (1998) Beanie Lady, URL
The rise of digital cameras and the internet led to a boom in photography blogs, making access to photographic knowledge widespread and allowing photographers to share work globally.
2005-
2010
2005-
2010
Affordable DSLRs and compact digital cameras allowed more people to experiment with high-quality photography, while platforms like Flickr fostered online photography communities.
2010 – 2015
2010 – 2015
Imbach, K. (2019) A Visual History of the Instagram Filter, URL
Instagram revolutionized photography by making mobile photography mainstream, with built-in filters mimicking the aesthetic of 70s and 80s film cameras, sparking a wave of nostalgic visual trends.
2015 – 2020
2015 – 2020
IDB (2021) New Apple videos show off iPhone 13 Pro camera, URL
Smartphone cameras improved dramatically, prioritising high-resolution, crisp imagery with editing program enhancements, leading to hyper-realistic, polished photography styles.
2020+
2020+
King, M. (2023) Midjourney V5 Playground: Create Photorealistic Images of Famous Celebrities with AI, URL
AI-generated images emerged, challenging traditional photography and pushing the boundaries of what defines a "photograph." Simultaneously, a resurgence of 90s-inspired grainy, VHS-style aesthetics responded to the perfection of digital images, embracing imperfection and nostalgia.
How Many Photos are Taken Every Day?
According to data, humanity takes 5.3 billion photos every day or 61,400 each second. That's equal to 1.94 trillion in 2024. This number continues to rise as camera technology becomes more accessible and affordable, both in smartphones and dedicated cameras.
Broz, M. (2024) Photo Statistics: How Many Photos are Taken Every Day? URL
U/TRIPPY_ART_SPECIAL '"Balenciaga" Pope Francis' (Reddit)
Reddit user, u/trippy_art_special generated an image using AI program, Midjourney and posted it on Reddit before it spread across Twitter and TikTok. The image sparked ongoing debate over the role that AI will play in Art, photos and journalism as deepfake content, including videos such as Tom holland and Nicki Minaj dating, which can make it look like events have occurred that have not, fooling large portions of the internet, if only for a short while.
While the visual choices are part of AI development, you can see in this image signs that it has been generated by AI, such as the pope's smudgy ear, his glasses melting into the shadow across his face, and his hand, clutching a coffee cup, is warped. Skin texture, as always, looks a bit waxy. Nothing a few Photoshop changes couldn't fix.
This type of content will challenge the roll of the photographer and the artist as well as making all of us in society continually ask the question, is this real?
AI Technology Development
AI Technology Development
Influential Modernist Photographers
Alfred Stieglitz
Alfred Stieglitz
A pioneering figure in Modernist photography, Stieglitz was instrumental in elevating photography to an art form. His "Equivalents" series, which captured cloud formations, abstracted nature into expressive, non-representational forms, emphasizing emotion over realistic depiction. Stieglitz's work focused on using photography to express the inner emotional world, making him a key proponent of modernist ideals.
Edward Weston
Edward Weston
Weston is known for his close-up studies of natural forms, such as shells, vegetables, and human nudes, transforming them into abstract compositions. His careful attention to light, texture, and detail allowed everyday objects to be perceived in a new, almost sculptural way. Weston’s work emphasized the abstract qualities of nature, making him a significant figure in the development of modernist photography.
Berenice Abbott
Berenice Abbott
Abbott's photography is renowned for its portrayal of urban modernity, capturing the rapidly changing landscape of New York City in the 1930s. Her sharp, geometric compositions and use of dramatic lighting reflected the dynamic energy of modern life, blending abstraction with realism to convey the transformation of society in the modern era.
Influential Abstract Photographers
Man Ray
Man Ray
A leading figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements, Man Ray's experimental photography pushed the boundaries of abstraction. He is famous for his "Rayographs," created by placing objects directly on photographic paper and exposing them to light, which resulted in abstract, dreamlike images. Man Ray’s unconventional techniques helped redefine the role of photography in modern art.
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
A prominent member of the Bauhaus school, Moholy-Nagy explored the intersection of photography, light, and technology. His use of photograms, light experiments, and innovative darkroom techniques created striking abstract compositions that focused on movement, light, and the mechanical nature of the modern world. His work had a significant influence on both photography and visual arts.
André Kertész
André Kertész
Known for his poetic and often abstract interpretations of everyday life, Kertész’s work emphasised unconventional compositions, using light and shadow to create surreal, fragmented views of the world. His ability to capture emotional depth through simple yet abstract forms made him an important figure in the development of abstract photography.
What Do You Meme? (Millennial Edition)
Why do Millennials love memes?
Memes are online images and videos that use humour, satire, or irony to comment on social, political, or cultural topics. Memes took off in the early 2000s with the rise of forums like 4chan, reddit and social media platforms, rapidly spreading across the internet to shape conversations, reinforce opinions, or challenge ideas in an easily digestible and relatable format.
Memes & Metaphors
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing by directly comparing it to something else, highlighting similarities without using "like" or "as." Many memes use metaphors to simplify complex ideas, turning abstract concepts into relatable images or scenarios. For example, the "This Is Fine" meme, featuring a dog sitting calmly in a burning room, metaphorically represents ignoring problems or staying optimistic in chaotic situations.
Medium (2022) Analysis - This is Fine Meme, URL
The Office Scene
The Office Meme
Can you identify the memeing above?
Pictorialism
Modernism
Have a Go!
Before we go any further, let's try and consolidate our understanding in a word cloud. See the Menti on Google classroom.
In groups of however many you choose, have a go at making 3-5 memes that explore the concepts we have learned about over the last 3-4 weeks.
Start by making a meme that uses the template provided. You could use Photoshop, Canva or this meme generator.
Consider your favourite memes and consider if there is a way to apply our class content to them.
Let us know if you can think of other metaphors (non-meme related) that can help us understand the content (e.g. I compared Impressionism and Pictorialism to the Y2K nostalgia that has come in response to rapid changes in technology).
Aim to create approximately 3-5 memes. If you can, also try to have one concept / metaphor / idea that is not a meme (just a dot point or sentence).
The purpose of this task is to consider the style / visual choices and the intentions of modernism and compare that to something that will help us understand them more deeply.
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