What do you think is meant by”Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element”?
This definition indicates that the subject itself on the surface is not the emphasis, but instead, the concepts and aesthetic distortion displayed by the entire scene, allowing room for various inferences to be drawn.
Definition
The definition of abstraction is to capture images in which the subject is not the emphasis/most important element, but instead allowing inferences to be drawn from the context
Pictorialism Movement
The pictorialism movement was a transition from representational photography of reality to an artistic medium allowing for innovations. Beginning from the early 1900s, advocates such as the English painter William John Newton valued and regarded art as something with a parallel resemblance to paintings, with human interventions to emphasize its beauty. (“Pictorialism Movement Overview”). Photography was viewed not just as a replicate of reality, but a configuration of different elements and meanings addressed by the photographer. In doing so, pictorialists employed tonality (colors ranging from black to white) framing, and other composition techniques such as lack of focus to enrich the narrativity and meaning of their photographs. (“Pictorialism Movement Overview”). In essence, photographs were more open for inferences to be drawn, including emotions and conceptual implications, resulting in a distinctive piece of art that is abundant in content and informative in telling a story.
Straight Photography
The nature of straight photography is to capture shapes the way they are without deliberate intervention, in other terms facing the authentic reality. Maximizing the instrumental functions of cameras, photographers create photos that are fully detailed and sharply focused (“Straight Photography Movement Overview”). Such a straightforward approach to photography produces scenes with delicate compositions that are both virtually indiscernible and aesthetically appealing, laying the foundation for related movements such as abstraction photography. In straight photography, the camera is utilized as a tool to capture what this world has to offer in its naturalistic form. The photographer uses focus and other techniques such as blurring their background to amplify the intrinsic beauty of their subject, such as the geometric shapes and shadows of the subject.
INFLUENCE
Edward Weston has been profoundly influenced by straight photography in terms of his photographs aiming to amplify the surface texture, tonality (black and white), and sharpness of the scene’s focus. His art, exemplified by Pepper No. 30, portrays a detailed and intrinsic pepper with a smooth surface and glimmering reflections making it almost tangible. Edward Weston stated, “Get your lighting and exposure correct at the start and both the developing and printing can be practically automatic.” (“Straight Photography Movement Overview”). Such artistic expression inspired modern photographers to develop their own distinctive style and expand the influence of straight photography.
Aaron Siskind
His artwork conforms to principles of straight photography, however different in terms of his objective to create something new from the original subject. He uses realistic and geometric shapes His photographs are typically taken from a close perspective to highlight the framing, texture, and tone of the scene.
What makes the work of contemporary photographers Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth abstract? Can they be classified as pictorialist or straight photographers?
Andreas Gursky’s artwork specializes in large-scale urban landscapes and architecture, featuring cities and people. His photos are characterized by an aerial viewpoint including a vastness of scale. Due to the intricacy and vast scale of his photographs, there are various viewpoints available for the viewer, blurring the sense of reality and regularity (“Andreas Gursky: Art Photographer”). Therefore, he can be considered an abstract artist since he often employs patterns in shapes and symmetry, empowering the visual tension of his photograph and enriching its composition to achieve abstraction and expand the viewer’s perspective. He can be considered a pictorialist due to his deliberate manipulation and resemblance to paintings (“Andreas Gursky: Art Photographer”).
Uta Bart
Uta Barth’s artworks are characterized by deliberate use of color, focus, and lighting. She effectively manipulates the viewer’s perception on the subject by regulating the focus and obscuring the scene, casting ambiguity to abstract her artwork(“Uta Barth Biography – Uta Barth on Artnet”). She can be considered a pictorialist due to her compositional techniques to obscure the scene, often reflective of her mentality and leaving rooms for artistic interpretations.
CITATIONS:
“Uta Barth Biography – Uta Barth on Artnet.” Artnet.com, 2023, www.artnet.com/artists/uta-barth/biography#:~:text=These%20works%20were%20created%20by,has%20continued%20throughout%20her%20work. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.
“Andreas Gursky: Art Photographer.” Visual-Arts-Cork.com, 2023, www.visual-arts-cork.com/photography/andreas-gursky.htm#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20greatest%20photographers,%2C%20squares%2C%20and%20the%20like. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.
“Pictorialism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, The Art Story, 2014, www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.
“Straight Photography Movement Overview.” The Art Story, The Art Story, 2015, www.theartstory.org/movement/straight-photography/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.