What was the Pictorialism Movement in photography?
A photographic style and a system of rules governing photography’s status as art were both represented by the Pictorialism movement. Photographic expression should be viewed by pictorialists as being on par with other fine arts. The Pictorialists referred themselves as real amateurs—those who pursued photography out of a passion for the art. Specifically, pictorialism is where photographers capture the beauty of subject matter, tonality, and composition, rather than the documentary of reality.
What was the straight photography movement in photography? Why was it popular amongst photographers?
Straight photography, also known as pure photography, is photography that aims to capture a scene or subject in fine detail and sharp focus, in keeping with the characteristics that set photography apart from other visual arts, especially painting. The straight photography movement rose to popularity among photographers because it was able to highlight and engage with the camera’s technical ability to produce images that were sharp in focus and rich in detail, insisting alternatively on the photographer’s original meaning and what they wanted to convey to the audience.
How have Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind (above) been influenced by the Straight Photography Movement?
The straight photography movement has impacted both Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind. Siskind often concentrated more on documentary photography before experimenting with abstract forms, whereas Weston’s black-and-white photographs reflected the beauty of nature and ordinary objects. However, both photographers kept the movement’s priority for simplicity, composition, and structure, and a direct approach to capture the subject even if they developed their unique approaches.
What makes the work of Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth abstract? Are they both straight photographers? Why?
Andreas Gurskey is known for his large-format architecture and landscape color photographs. Gurskey states that although he is against making social or political criticism in his art, he is primarily interested in expressing how globalism and consumerism affected modern man. He has placed even more focus on the abstract components of his work as a result of the methods in which he has decided to use digital technology. Gursky enhances the visual impact of repetition, lines, colors, and patterns in his work, which makes his work look even more abstract. On the other hand, Uta Barth’s early work included both photography and painting, which enabled her to establish the characteristic style of blurry pictures shown in Field (1995) and Ground (1992-1997). These images were produced by focusing the camera on a blank foreground, resulting in a haze to cover the surroundings.