Pictorialism

“Winter-fifth avenue” 1892

This is image, by Alfred Steiglitz, is a black and white image of a horse drawn carriage in the snow, leaving trails behind it. The photograph appears smoky and mystical showing elements of pictorialism. This photo was a result of the experimentation of movement and the want to produce an atmosphere in an image.

This sort of picture is typical of pictorialism, creating a mood rather than just documenting a subject.  The smoky effect made is slightly atmospheric and could almost be brush strokes, standing up for photography as an art form. There was usually a lack of sharp detail in pictorialist images. Steiglitz and his pictorialist group (Photo secession-1902-1910) believed that the work of art should be seen for the manipulation etc rather than even considering that it was taken by a camera.  They were known as a group of men that broke away from tradition and the group was invitation only.

Pictorialism originated after George Eastman Kodak evented plastic film and the first amateur camera using the slogan “you press the button, we do the rest”. This of course meant that photography became enormous and practically everyone could take a photograph. The need for professional photographers declined rapidly and the debate arose that if anyone could take a photo then was it still an art? Pictorialism challenged this with the use of manipulation and mimicking styles of contemporary painting. Creating an image rather than simply recording it using tinting/toning, emulsion, drawing onto etc.