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Photography as Art
Photography as Art
POSTED DECEMBER 10, 2019
The first photograph was taken in 1826. Almost since then, people have questioned whether photography is art. Could anything so "literal", so seemingly uncreative, actually be a work of art? An article in the UK Guardian notes, even early photographers were skeptical:
The first photograph was taken in 1826. Almost since then, people have questioned whether photography is art. Could anything so "literal", so seemingly uncreative, actually be a work of art? An article in the UK Guardian notes, even early photographers were skeptical:
At an early meeting of the Photographic Society of London, established in 1853, one of the members complained that the new technique was "too literal to compete with works of art" because it was unable to "elevate the imagination". This conception of photography as a mechanical recording medium never fully died away.
Painting was certainly impacted by photography. For centuries, artists had tried to reproduce nature. Now that was easily accomplished with a camera. Mid-nineteenth century artists such as the Impressionists began to change the way they depicted reality, ultimately culminating in the various modern art movements where visual faithfulness to reality is unimportant.
Painting was certainly impacted by photography. For centuries, artists had tried to reproduce nature. Now that was easily accomplished with a camera. Mid-nineteenth century artists such as the Impressionists began to change the way they depicted reality, ultimately culminating in the various modern art movements where visual faithfulness to reality is unimportant.
And photography was likewise impacted by paintings. The Guardian article describes a photography show at the National Gallery as "not a survey"...
And photography was likewise impacted by paintings. The Guardian article describes a photography show at the National Gallery as "not a survey"...
...but rather [it] examines how photography's earliest practitioners looked to paintings when they were first exploring their technology's potential, and how their modern descendants are looking both to those photographic old masters and in turn to the old master paintings. What paintings offered was a catalogue of transferable subjects, from portraits to nudes, still lifes to landscapes, that photographers could mimic and adapt.
Creativity in photography is primarily one of composition, framing what is seen in an imaginative manner or arranging the elements of the picture in an unusual way. Portraits, for example, often use lighting and staging to create a dramatic effect. As in all art, the ability to move us, to engage our emotions, is an important factor. In recent decades, fine-art photography has been acknowledged (as in the National Gallery show) as fully deserving to be labeled art. Here are some examples:
Creativity in photography is primarily one of composition, framing what is seen in an imaginative manner or arranging the elements of the picture in an unusual way. Portraits, for example, often use lighting and staging to create a dramatic effect. As in all art, the ability to move us, to engage our emotions, is an important factor. In recent decades, fine-art photography has been acknowledged (as in the National Gallery show) as fully deserving to be labeled art. Here are some examples:
Giuseppe Milo – Girl on Garda lake – Sirmione, Italy
Alfred Stieglitz's The Steerage (1907) is considered by many historians to be the most important photograph ever made. (Wikipedia)
My Grandchild by Julia Margaret Cameron. Photograph: Hulton/Getty
W. Henryk - Never Stop
And the art market is likewise acknowledging photography as art. Photographs are selling for amounts similar to paintings. Andreas Gursky's "Rhein II" fetched £2.7m on 2011, setting the record at that time for any photograph sold at auction. (The Guardian)
And the art market is likewise acknowledging photography as art. Photographs are selling for amounts similar to paintings. Andreas Gursky's "Rhein II" fetched £2.7m on 2011, setting the record at that time for any photograph sold at auction. (The Guardian)
It's since been superseded by Peter Lik's "Phantom" photo, which was "sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history." (Time)
It's since been superseded by Peter Lik's "Phantom" photo, which was "sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history." (Time)
Andreas Gursky's Rhein II - Photograph: Andreas Gursky/AP Photo/Christie's
Peter Lik's Phantom - Peter Lik—PRNewsFoto
For more examples and discussion of fine-art photography, check out these articles:
For more examples and discussion of fine-art photography, check out these articles:
If you are considering trying your hand at fine-art photography, there are some websites that can help you get started, including Expert Photography's "Complete Guide To Fine Art Photography".
If you are considering trying your hand at fine-art photography, there are some websites that can help you get started, including Expert Photography's "Complete Guide To Fine Art Photography".
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