Last week I went to the V&A in London and saw their current photography exhibition. Part of the show explored the idea of modernism in photography.
Alfred Stieglitz was the driving force behind the photo-succession in the US which put forward the idea that pictorial-ism was an old fashioned romantic idea largely based on the painting and not photography.
Trees (right) – Forest of Dean 2006 (after Alfred Stieglitz 1912) is purposely very dark. The diagonal composition is a recurring theme in my pictures. The lighting on the diagonal branch is as taken. To simplify the picture all I have done is darken around the subject matter – the diagonal branch.
A big hello to all the new followers of my blog this week.
(c) Andy Beel FRPS 2014
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Hey Andy – I am sorry to have to disagree with you but I believe Stieglitz’s Photo Secession “promoted photography as a fine art in general and photographic pictorialism in particular..”
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HI Christian I must admit I get a little confused by who said what and when in the debate about progressive ideas in photography. My understanding is that in the early days of the photo-succession their ideas were based on pictorialism but certainly by the 1930’s when f64 group was formed – straight photography was seen to be the way to go. All these things overlap and change over time. All the best Andy.
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Hi Andy – my apologies for my terse comment – I was in a hurry. Absolutely, Stieglitz and his ‘visions’ and ‘pronouncements’ can be confusing. It is important to note however that he did not start the Photo Secession with the purpose of promoting ‘straight’ photography, quite the contrary. Of course he evolved towards ‘modern’ photography and abandoned pictorialism….
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Beautiful Minimalism, Andy, very well done! Adrian
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Hi Adrian thanks spookily enough it hasn’t been cropped. Andy
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