Visual Culture: 6: The Late Nineteenth Century: 1900-1920 Art Photography/Alfred Stieglitz (1900s-1920s)

1900s to 1920s in Photography/Art Photography

Timeline of Photography from 1900 to 1920
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_photography_technology

• 1900 – Kodak introduces their first Brownie, a very inexpensive user-reloadable point-and-shoot box camera.
• 1901 – Kodak introduces the 120 film format.
• 1902 – Arthur Korn devises practical telephotography technology (reduction of photographic images to signals that can be transmitted by wire to other locations); Wire-Photos in wide use in Europe by 1910, and transmitted intercontinentally by 1922.
• 1907 – The Autochrome plate is introduced and becomes the first commercially successful color photography product.
• 1908 – Kinemacolor, a two-color process that is the first commercial "natural color" system for movies, is introduced.
• 1909 – Kodak announces a 35 mm "safety" motion picture film on an acetate base as an alternative to the highly flammable nitrate base. The motion picture industry discontinues its use after 1911 due to technical imperfections.
• 1912 – Vest Pocket Kodak using 127 film.
• 1912 – Thomas Edison introduces a short-lived 22 mm home motion picture format using acetate "safety" film manufactured by Kodak.
• 1913 – Kodak makes 35 mm panchromatic motion picture film available on a bulk special order basis.
• 1914 – Kodak introduces the Autographic film system.
• 1914 – The World, the Flesh and the Devil, the first dramatic feature film in color (Kinemacolor), is released.

http://www.brownie-camera.com/ <- the Brownie Camera from Kodak

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/early-modern-photography.html

Before 1900 - Portraits of families and wealthy people

1900 - the same but with a quicker shutter speed

1914 - WW1 photography used for documentation of events rather than documentation of individuals

1859 when photography was displayed alongside art, but was not considered to be art because of it's mechanical process whereas art was considered to be made by the skill of the artist. Kodak's slogan at the time was ''you press the button, we do the rest'' which went along with the effortlessness of taking a photograph.

Artists such as Alfred Stieglitz formed groups and societies that went against this idea that photography was too mechanical to be art. He took photographs like any other photographer but his process relied heavily on experimentation. He ran tests with different papers with different surfaces and different coatings. 

Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864-1946), Equivalent, 1925, Gelatin silver print, 9.3 x 11.9 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1928

Alfred Stieglitz, Equivalent, 1925; printed 1927; gelatin silver print, 4 5/8 in. x 3 5/8 in. (11.75 cm x 9.21 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Gift of Georgia O'Keeffe

Alfred Stieglitz (american, 1864-1946), Equivalent, 1926, Gelatin silver print, 12.065 x 9.525 cm, The Alfred Stieglitz collection, gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1949

Visual Culture: 4: 17th and 18th Centuries: Wealth in the 17th and 18th century - The Dutch Golden Age and The Hierarchy of Genres

Tasked with researching how wealth, property and class is depicted in the 17th and 18th centuries, the only way I know that wealth was shown was through Still Life paintings. One artist that comes to mind is Clara Peeters; a Flemish painter mostly known for floral depictions and breakfast scenes, such as "Still life with Artichoke, and Cherries" (1625, Oil on canvas) shown below.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WLA_lacma_Clara_Peeters_still_life.jpg

Still Life paintings of food and delicacies were aimed towards the more wealthy, showing food that they may enjoy and served as a religious reminder to avoid gluttony. Owning paintings depicting still life scenes were more likely to be found in wealthier homes, or paintings in general, as poorer households could not afford to spend money on decorative items.

Another type of painting found within richer housing was Portraits. Around the 17th century in The Netherlands portrait painting became increasingly popular as part of what is known as The Dutch Golden Age. It was around this time that the artist Rembrandt became successful before he moved away from portraits due to boredom. Another artist around this time was Bartholemeus Van Der Helst who painted many portraits including the portrait of ''Sophia Trip, wife of Balthasar Coymans''(1665), who was a member of one of the wealthiest families in Holland.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_sophia_trip_wife_of_balthasar_coymans.jpg

There were many similarities in Dutch Portrait Paintings, and this is mainly due to the fear of showing the sin of Pride. It was due to this that possessions were not included in paintings, nor were views of the land and the seated pose was much the same amongst paintings as a standing position may also show pride. Women were mainly restricted to seated positions in portraits but children would be allowed more freedom. Portrait paintings and paintings including human figures were very high up in the "Hierarchy of Genres", where genres were in ranks, with the more difficult paintings being ranked as more prestigious, thus worth more and favoured more amongst the wealthy; Landscapes were amongst the bottom of the ranks, above Still Life paintings whilst portraits were high at the top of the ranks.

"He who produces perfect landscapes is above another who only produces fruit, flowers or seafood. He who paints living animals is more estimable than those who only represent dead things without movement, and as man is the most perfect work of God on the earth, it is also certain that he who becomes an imitator of God in representing human figures, is much more excellent than all the others ..."- André Félibien, a historiographer, architect and theoretician of French classicism

An interesting painting to analyse after reading this quote would be Paulus Potter's "The Bull" from 1647, which contains a landscape, living animals and a human figure; this means that we can see the different genres  (minus Still Life) compiled into one painting.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paulus_Potter_-_Young_Bull.JPG