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Can Photography be regarded as a valid Artform?
This entire article is © James
Wakefield 2002.
Reproduction Prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
Full Version for Printing
Section One: A Brief History of Photography
To explore the question of
whether or not photography can be regarded as an art form
we must first investigate the origins of photography and it’s
rise to use as a mass medium.
Photography was first used as a visual representative medium
in the early 19th Century.
Thomas Wedgwood was the first person to successfully
record an image, but he was unable to fix the photograph for
any extended period of time.
It was not until mid 1827 that Niepce recorded the
first successful picture, however, it required an exposure
of eight hours!
This was the starting point for one of the world’s most
relished inventions. The ability to accurately capture a scene
without the need for artistic talent or scientific knowledge.
Niepce was a scientist, as was Louis Daguerre, who
continued his work when he died. They were not artists.
Daguerre can be regarded as the founding father of Photography
as he took Niepce’s process and improved it considerably,
reducing the exposure time to just half an hour and discovering
the first permanent fixing agent - salt.
As the word spread that the Daguerreotype required
“no knowledge of drawing…” and that “anyone
may succeed.... and perform as well as the author of the invention”
many showed an interest and “Daguerreomania”
became a craze overnight.
However, even in the very first days of photography it was
met with opposition, especially from artists who believed
it could seriously threaten their professions; one journalist
even regarded the new invention as satanic:
“The wish to capture evanescent reflections is not
only impossible... but the mere desire alone, the will to
do so, is blasphemy. God created man in His own image, and
no man- made machine may fix the image of God. Is it possible
that God should have abandoned His eternal principles, and
allowed a Frenchman... to give to the world an invention of
the Devil?”
Article in the Leipzig City Advertiser 1839/40
It can be safely said, that at this period of time, photography
or ‘Daguerreomania’ was not regarded as an
art form by anyone.
Whilst Daguerre was perfecting his process, a man called William
Henry Fox Talbot was perfecting a similar process known
as the Calotype. His process produced considerably
poorer quality images than that of Daguerre’s at first,
but by the early 1840’s Talbot had made some significant
improvements and was clearly excited by the prospect of creating
realistic images without applying pencil to paper:
“How charming it would be if it were possible to cause
these natural images to imprint themselves durably and remain
fixed on the paper!”
The advantage of Talbot’s system compared to Daguerre’s
was that an unlimited number of Positive prints could be made,
whereas Daguerre’s could produce only the one. Although
the Daguerreotype was revolutionary, it did not hang around
for long, and in fact all film photography today is based
around the work of Fox Talbot.
The arrival of photography was met with mixed views, the negative
ones coming mainly from artists who saw the potential of this
medium taking over art completely, as there would no longer
be the need for artists to make accurate representations of
scenes. This proves the point that at that time the job of
artists was primarily to represent a scene as accurately as
possible, something that certainly cannot be said of artists
today, a point that will be explored in more detail later.
Charles Baudelaire, whilst reviewing a photographic exhibition
in 1859, clearly saw the need to put photography firmly in
its place:
“If photography is allowed to supplement art in some
of its functions, it will soon have supplanted or corrupted
it altogether...its true duty…is to be the servant of
the sciences and arts - but the very humble servant, like
printing or shorthand, which have neither created nor supplemented
literature....”
“Let it rescue from oblivion those tumbling ruins,
those books, prints and manuscripts which time is devouring,
precious things whose form is dissolving and which demand
a place in the archives of our memory - it will be thanked
and applauded.”
“But if it is allowed to encroach upon the domain
of the... imaginary, upon anything whose value depends solely
upon the addition of something of a man's soul, then it will
be so much the worse for us."
Almost in desperation, Baudelaire attempts to discredit an
invention which he knows will be revolutionary and put traditional
artists at risk.
As time went on, photography’s popularity continued to
increase, and by 1857 there were 147 photographic establishments,
compared to a mere handful in the mid 1840’s.
Photography met a new era in 1851 when the Collodion Process
was developed by Frederick Scott Archer which reduced
exposure times to a matter of seconds, allowing for many more
photographic horizons. The price was also nominal compared
to Daguerreotypes that typically cost a guinea (£1.05
- a typical weeks wages); the Collodion process could produce
prints for as little as a shilling.
The biggest turning point in photographic history, however,
was in 1871 when Dr Richard Maddox decided to use the
newly discovered Gelatin instead of glass as a basis
for the photographic plate. This led to the development of
the Dry Plate Process. The Dry Plate revolutionised
photography; cumbersome wet plates, on site darkroom tents
and specialised knowledge were no longer required to take
photographs - it was now open to the masses.
George Eastman developed the Kodak Box Camera
and flexible film in 1888 allowing photography to be accessed
by a much greater number of people.
The twentieth century was dominated by photography. Thanks
to this remarkable invention, almost everyone has access to
a camera and we can now see (accurately) how others live,
what other places look like, what the moon looks like…
Photography has revolutionised our lives, taking advertising,
the media and television/film to a whole new level. But is
it Art?
Section Two: The Arguments
To answer that, we must look at how photography has
influenced/affected art, and vice-versa. As Baudelaire and
most artists knew at the time, the concept of being able to
record a scene accurately and immediately posed a very real
threat to artists. The effect photography has had on Art is
to restructure it extensively. Before Photography, artists
were at their peak and photography threatened that, but they
have learned to adapt and develop new styles. Photography
is used by many artists as either an aid (such as Chuck
Close who’s work would be impossible without the
aid of photography) or as actual artwork. Some artists use
it so they can go beyond the boundaries of painting/drawing/sculpting
etc. Man Ray paints what he can’t photograph,
and photographs what he can’t paint.
The reason that this debate exists at all could be put down
to the fact that many artists resent photography being
called an art form. Mainly due to its most advantageous features
- the fact that it is quick and accurate. Artists put a lot
of work into their creations, whereas for a photographer it
is simply a case of ‘click’ and ‘process’.
The amount of effort required could be miniscule in comparison,
which is the main reason why artists resent this medium.
Photographers, however, could argue that photography can go
beyond click and process. Enthusiasts put a lot of effort
into their images, possibly going out specifically to find
that perfect picture which requires a lot of effort. Printing
can be a long and intensive process if you wish to make your
print ‘perfect’, and it doesn’t stop there
- image manipulation by hand or computer requires a lot a
time, effort and patience - similar to a lot of artistic methods.
I am going to put forward the argument that photography is
such an extensive medium, bounded by hundreds of different
uses, styles and techniques that it would be stupid to describe
the whole medium as ‘art’. Is taking a photograph
of a pine chair for a catalogue art? No. Is capturing an image
that evokes emotion and passion when someone looks at it art?
Possibly. Is taking a picture and then spending several hours
in Photoshop manipulating it, art? It all depends on your
personal opinion.
Artist, Christine, believes that Photography can be interpreted
as art, simply because of the advantage it has over normal
art forms that require extensive time and effort:
“I have come to appreciate what photography has to
offer. I do believe it is the one art form that captures the
true essence of a moment, even more than words. Photographs
are what make up life.”
Artist S Schwartz believes that Art means ‘object creation’
- something that you make with your hands, and can touch,
feel:
“ ‘Art’ to most of us means object creation
.. sculpture, painting. Photography CAN be used to create
objects, indeed Man Ray did this, but for the most
part the camera is used to record what the photographer sees
and the viewers faith in the camera as a recording medium
is essential for the effectiveness of an image.”
He continues to say how the materials of painting are paint
and canvas; the material for photography is reality.
Artist Hermann has a very biased view on art and photography,
but he makes a valid point:
“Photography is not an art form. Compared with real
artwork it is a children’s game - complete with little
plastic toys. It is too simplistic - just click? Its very
effortlessness excludes it from being considered art. The
only connection that Photography has with art is the demise
of portrait painters in the 19th Century.”
Photography can indeed be regarded simplistic, but is that
even relevant when assessing it’s value as visual medium?
Hermann claims that the only connection between the two is
the demise of portrait painters - this is quite simply untrue,
as nowadays many artists use the medium to assist them and
some base their work entirely around photography. In fact,
photography was first used by painters in the mid 19th Century
to aid them with their paintings eliminating the need to pay
for models or spend long periods of time sketching. The photograph
allowed artists to extend their boundaries. It allowed them
to paint things that previously would have been impossible,
such as urban scenes. It was simply a case of recording the
scene and returning to the studio where they could complete
the painting in their own time with fewer restrictions.
It took a little longer before some artists believed that
the photograph could be an artwork in it’s own right.
French caricaturist Nadar first used photography as
the basis for satirical portraiture, later acknowledging the
photographs themselves, as opposed to most artists who used
them as reference tools and nothing else (the issue of them
being an art form in their own right not even emerging). The
emphasis was on ‘picture-taking’, not ‘picture-making’.
This entire article is © James
Wakefield 2001.
Reproduction Prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
Section Three: How Photography transformed the Art World
Whatever your views on photography as an art form,
there is no argument that photography has transformed the
world and role of art in the last 150 years.
Before the introduction of photography, the main role of artists
was to paint realistic portraits of those who could afford
it. This involved the subject remaining in the same position
for hours on end while the artist painstakingly transferred
every detail in front of him onto the canvas. As it required
a lot of time, effort and materials, it did not come cheap,
and therefore was only available to the very rich. The style
associated with this type of painting is known as ‘Realism’.
The introduction of photography provoked artists to change
the way they saw and made them re-examine the nature and potential
of paint as a medium, as photography was obviously more successful
in representing a scene, which raised the issue of the viability
of Portraiture. Photography had the ability to capture a moment
in time realistically, a feature that painting very obviously
lacked.
Photography may well have put artists at risk when it was
first introduced, but in truth, it released painting from
it’s responsibility as a realistic representative medium,
allowing artists to start experimenting and lead on to the
endless styles that came about as a result, particularly in
the 20th Century.
Photography had five major roles in transforming the art world:
- It allowed painters to capture scenes that they would
not have been able to previously, such as an urban street
image. They could take the photo to the studio and work on
it from there.
- It allowed Portrait painters to abandon the lengthy sittings
that their subjects had to endure.
- It released painting from its responsibility as the primary
realistic representative medium, extending the scope for new
styles.
- It allowed artists from all over the world to view famous
artworks without the need for expensive travel to go and ‘see
the works’, due to the ease in which images could be
reproduced.
- It (arguably) became an art form in it’s own right,
with photographers cropping up as artists, or as artists using
the medium in their work.
Section Four: Is it Art?
I have explored photography’s role since it’s
introduction and the way it has changed the art world, but
the underlying question remains- Can it be regarded as an
art form?
Originally, photographs were not intended as ‘Art’,
they were documents, records, momentos, press images, family
pictures etc. Still today, a large number of photographs are
used for these purposes, but an image that invokes emotion
the same way that an artwork does can surely be regarded as
art.
Writer, Peter Marshall, sums up this concept very well:
“Photography is not art any more than oil paint is
art. Some photographers used it to create art.”
This shows that a photograph can be interpreted as art when
the photographer intended for it to be so, but still raises
the issue of whether a photograph can be regarded as art when
the photographer did not intend for it to be regarded as such,
or the issue did not even come up in the photographer’s
mind.
Firstly, I will deal with photographers who intended for their
work to be interpreted as art. The best person to start with
is Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), the man who fought
for most of his life for photography to be accepted by the
masses as a valid art form.
Stieglitz can be regarded as one of the most influential American
photographers in the early 20th Century. In 1923, he was asked
if he would give the Museum of Fine Arts some of his photographs.
This was significant because it was the first time that a
major American Art Museum included photographs or even considered
them for display. This could be regarded as the biggest turning
point since the introduction of photography in terms of photography
being regarded as art.
Stieglitz pushed the limits of photography. When he first
started, he was told that photographs could only be taken
in daylight. He challenged this by making the first 24 hour
indoor exposure, which resulted in a perfect negative. He
made the first rainy day, snowstorm and night photographs.
In Stieglitz’ day, photography was regarded as a ‘scientific
curiosity’ and nothing else. Stieglitz made it his job
to ensure that photography became widely regarded as an art
form. This battle lasted his whole life.
Stieglitz believed the best way to get his message across
was to use his talent. He tried to win as many exhibitions
as possible, and by the time he died had won over 150 awards
from all over the world for photography only.
Stieglitz went to Germany in 1881, and he found that Europeans
respected photography as an art form much more readily than
the Americans. Upon returning to America he found that many
regarded the craze simply as a 'fad' or hobby, with no real
status in the art world.
Stieglitz was so determined that photography be regarded as
an art form, that he founded his own society in 1905 with
that purpose. The 'Photo-Secession Movement' (better
known as '291') fought to have photography recognised
in the art world.
The Photo-Secessionist were a group of photographers headed
by Stieglitz who believed that it was necessary to differentiate
between the photograph as visual reporting and the photograph
as visual expression.
Here is a list of their 'objectives', as described in a leaflet
in 1902:
- To advance photography as applied to pictorial expression
- To draw together those Americans practicing or otherwise
interested in the art
- To hold from time to time, at varying places, exhibitions
not necessarily limited to the productions of the Photo-Secessionists
or to American work.
This Movement not only helped photography to be interpreted
better by the masses, but the techniques that developed as
a result of photographers 'looking' for a good picture changed
the way that many people viewed life as a whole. This extended
to Literature, where writers found themselves exploring everyday
situations and objects in much more detail, thanks to photography.
Two such writers who admitted to photography influencing their
work included Gertrude Stein and William Carlos
Williams. Through photography these writers became aware
of the enormous possibilities that the objective world offered
for verbal expression. The very presence of the 'trivial'
detail found in photography forced these writers into symbolic
rather than narrative presentations. They forced the reader
to look at trivial details which he had never before seen,
whereupon the 'insignificant' and 'inconsequential' became
significant.
This raises the question of whether or not literature can
be regarded as an art form (but I'll save that for another
dissertation!).
This proves that photography was not just a revolution in
it's own right, but it also revolutionised the art world,
literary world and the way that people viewed themselves and
their surroundings.
Before his death, Stieglitz said:
"My whole life, has been really dedicated to the fight
for all those in whatever field, who insist on doing their
work supremely well, and on giving those who are ready to
give all of themselves to whatever they may wish to do, a
full chance to do whatever they may be fitted to do, and to
let them live."
Thanks to Stieglitz, the impression that the general public
had of Photography in America was changed - it was now widely
accepted as a valid art form, however the views of many stubborn
artists remained unchanged - they simply refused to accept
that this medium could be called ‘art’; many still
do.
Section Five: Examples of Artists who use Photography
in their work
Probably the best way to answer this question is to
examine how artists use photography in their work, or as individual
works in their own right.
I will examine the work of four artists who used photography,
and concentrated primarily on form than the actual content
of their photographs. It could be argued that these works
are as abstract as the work of any painters:
Edward Weston produced a number of images of a pepper.
[Currently seeking permission to reproduce:
EDWARD WESTON: PEPPER NO. 30, 1930]
This image is highly abstract, and would not necessarily be
interpreted as a pepper straight away. It is more like a sculpture,
the texture relating to human skin. The photographer in this
case has managed to lose the subject entirely in favour of
focussing on the form.
Such a method does away with the ‘recording’ and
‘documenting’ nature of photography and deals more
with the aesthetics of the image, which is surely what art
is all about, proving that this image could be interpreted
as art.
Man Ray is a very famous artist, who said he photographed
what he could not paint, and painted what he could not photograph.
This statement proves that he regarded photography as simply
a tool for expressing his art, he did not dismiss it simply
because it was ‘quicker’ than painting.
[Currently seeking permission to reproduce
photos by Man Ray]
Andrew Goldsworthy creates artwork from nature, using
grass, rocks, ice, trees etc. to create beautiful formations.
His work is unlike anyone elses, but if it were not for photography
then there would be no way he could show his works to people,
primarily because they only last a matter of days in most
cases and also because for anyone to see them would mean them
having to travel a great distance as they are usually created
in the remotest areas such as the Yorkshire Dales.
If it were not for photography, then this artist would be
ruined.
[Currently seeking permission to reproduce
photos by Andrew Goldsworthy]
David Hockney has created some very famous photo-montages.
He said the camera was limited in it’s view of the world,
because it can only see one viewpoint whereas we can see two,
allowing us to judge distance. He decided to create montages
in order to ‘recreate what we see around us'.
[Currently seeking permission to reproduce:
DAVID HOCKNEY: PEAR BLOSSOM HIGHWAY]
Section Six: Photography and Art Today;
Conclusion
In this exploration of both photography and art, I
have examined many aspects of how photography has changed
the way that we live in terms of advertising, recording the
past, seeing how other people live, viewing momentous historic
occasions, cinema and more; but it has also had a significant
effect on the art world, restructuring every possible angle,
from the type of art being made to how art is broadcast to
the rest of the world.
In conclusion, I believe that photography can indeed be interpreted
as an art form, and the only reason that this argument still
exists today is down to the fact that many ‘staunch’
artists refuse to touch a camera, simply because they have
the stereotypical view that it is too quick, and a lot more
effortless in comparison to other methods. This may be true
to an extent, but it does not exclude the photograph being
an excellent way for an artist to express form and aesthetics.
Such a view is also very backward in a time where both photography
and art are advancing at such a rate, in their own right and
together.
As I was writing this dissertation, probably the most prestigious
art award in the world, The Turner Prize, was awarded
to a photographer (not an artist) - Alfred Tillmans
- for a photographic image, proving that, while some people
still believe the camera is incapable of producing ‘art’,
the harshist art critics in the world believe it can.
[Currently seeking permission to INSERT WINNING
TURNER PRIZE IMAGE]
Discuss
this article at www.focalfix.com/discussion
Section Seven: Bibliography
Awaiting Completion
Section Eight: Bold Type referred to in Article
291 - Also known as the Photo-Secession Movement;
founded by Alfred Stieglitz in 1905 to help photography become
more widely accepted as an art form.
Archer, Frederick Scott - Perfected Talbot's Calotype
process with the Collodion Process which substantially reduced
exposure times and the cost of producing photos.
Baudelaire, Charles - Critic of photography when it
first became popular claiming it was 'satanic' to reproduce
a creation of God perfectly onto paper.
Calotype - Photographic process created by William
Henry Fox Talbot in early 1840's that revolutionised photography
and is still the basic foundation of film photography today.
Close, Chuck - Realist painter who first photographs
his subject and then recreates the photograph onto canvas,
so realistically that it looks like a huge photograph.
Collodion Process - Developed by Frederick Scott Archer
as an improvement on the Calotype process by reducing exposure
times and cost substantially.
Daguerre, Louis - One of the founding fathers of photography.
A scientist who perfected Niepce's process to initially reduce
the exposure time to thirty minutes. Also discovered the first
fixant - salt.
Daguerreomania - Craze that developed from Daguerre's
creation the Daguerreotype.
Daguerreotype - Name given to photographs made with
the process developed by Louis Daguerre.
Dry Plate Process - Succeeded the Wet Plate Process
with the use of Gelatin in film allowing photos to be made
without cumbersome wet plates, on site darkroom tents and
specialised knowledge.
George Eastman - Founder of Eastman Kodak, the most
recognised photo brand in the world; and the creator of the
Kodak Box Camera & flexible film (1888) which revolutionised
the whole world by bringing photography to the masses.
Gelatin - First used as the basis for film by Dr Richard
Maddox, eradicating the cumbersome wet plate process and opening
photography to a whole new world of possibilities with 'dry
plates'.
Goldsworthy, Andrew - Artist whose creations are entirely
natural in deserted places and would therefore be impossible
to 'exhibit' without the aid of photography.
Hockney, David - Internationally acclaimed artist whose
name comes to mind when exploring the issue of photography
as art thanks to his huge, slightly disorganised photo montages
which he, and most of his followers, regard as 'art' without
hesitation.
Maddox, Dr Richard - Decided to use Gelatin as the
base of a photographic plate eradicating the cumbersome wet
plate process and opening photography to a whole new world
of possibilities with 'dry plates'.
Nadar - French caricaturist who first used photography
as the basis for satirical portraiture, later acknowledging
the photographs as artworks in their own right.
Niepce - Recorded the first successful photograph in
1827, requiring an eight hour exposure! Photo-Secession Movement
- Also known as '291'; founded by Alfred Stieglitz in 1905
to help photography become more widely accepted as an art
form.
Ray, Man - Very famous photographer and artist who
painted what he couldn't photograph, and photographed what
he couldn't paint.
Realism - Style of painting that was very popular before
the rise of photography as it accurately represented the subject
on canvas, a job that the camera soon overtook.
Stieglitz, Alfred - One of the most influential photographers
in history who fought all his life to ensure photography was
accepted as 'Art'.
Stein, Gertrude - Writer who admitted the concepts
that developed from photography (different 'ways of seeing')
extended to writing. It allowed writers to explore details
and objects that would not even have entered their heads were
it not for photography.
Talbot, William Henry Fox - Creator of the Calotype,
which revolutionised photography.
Tillmans, Alfred - Winner of the 2000 Turner Art Prize
for one of his photographs.
Turner Prize - Awarded annually at the Tate Gallery
in London to an outstanding piece of art. Awarded to photographer
Alfred Tillmans in 2000 for a photographic image.
Wedgwood, Thomas - First person to successfully record
an image, but was unable to fix it. Weston, Edward - Artist
who used photography to create surreal images concentrating
on the aesthetics of an object as opposed to the object in
it's own right.
Wet Plate Process - The first widely used photographic
process which required cumbersome wet plates, on site darkroom
tents and specialised knowledge. Succeeded by the dry plate
process when it was discovered Gelatin could be used in film.
Williams, William Carlos - Writer who admitted the
concepts that developed from photography (different 'ways
of seeing') extended to writing. It allowed writers to explore
details and objects that would not even have entered their
heads were it not for photography.
This entire article is © James
Wakefield 2002.
Reproduction Prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
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