Pictorialism is an international aesthetic movement that characterized photography between 1890 and 1914 approximately. It followed the spread of a new photographic process called “dry plate” or “gelatin-silver bromide” invented by Richard Leach Maddox in 1871, the recording being obtained from a suspension of silver bromide in gelatin. It reached its peak in the early 20th century before gradually fading away after the First World War. This aesthetic has had a resurgence in the field of plastic photography.
History
Photography, popularized from 1839, is first defined as a mechanical and scientific process to capture the visible reality. In England, in 1886, a manifesto article written by Peter Henry Emerson, Photography: a pictorial art, defends the artistic legitimacy of photography then considered as a technique unworthy to be part of the Fine Arts. The expression “a pictorial art”, literally, was kept by the French who called this new movement “pictorialism”.
Pictorialism is the very first school of artistic photography. It is also the first international movement for this medium. The period of efflorescence is considered to cover approximately the years 1889-1914, sometimes longer, as in Belgium where it lasted until 1940.
Theorization
Pictorialist ideas were theorized by Heinrich Kühn in Germany, Constant Puyo and Robert Demachy in France. In the absence of a real manifesto, Robert de la Sizeranne’s essay, La photographie est-elle un art? (1889), became one of the founding writings of pictorialism. The author describes the movement as follows: “A new movement is drawing photographers out of and against the paths in which they had been accustomed to walk until now.”
Exhibitions and specialized magazines were the most effective way to spread the group’s theories. In France, Le Monde photographique, the Photo-Gazette, Le Photogramme, and La Revue de Photographie allowed the creation of photographic art criticism and thus participated in the legitimization of pictorialism as an artistic movement in its own right.
![Print cover of the Bulletin du Photo-club de Paris designed by Félix Régamey [from 1891 to june 1896].](https://i0.wp.com/aestheticsofphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Photo-club_de_Paris_Regamey_front.png?resize=562%2C779&ssl=1)
The Photo-club of Paris, born in 1888, was a place of debate, questioning and defense of artistic photography. The photographic clubs were also essential to the diffusion and, above all, to the international recognition of the ideas of the movement. Thus, the Wiener Camera Club (1891, Vienna), the Brotherhood of the Linked Ring (1891, London), the Gesellschaft zur Försderung des Amateur (Hamburg) and the Camera Club (1896, New York) appeared.
Principles of Pictorialism
Pictorialism largely subscribes to the idea that photographic art should simulate painting and etching. It favors the human intervention, even manual, in the photographic creation which, according to them, is the only one to confer an artistic value to a technical and chemical creation. It is opposed to the documentary current.
Various techniques were used to produce these images: important manipulations in the darkroom, special filters (including soft-focus), unusual treatments during development, use of special papers. Some artists etched the surface of their prints using fine scratches. The goal of such practices was to achieve what the Encyclopædia Britannica called, in referring to pictorialism, a “personal artistic expression”.
Aesthetics of Pictorialism
In their will to make photography be admitted in the field of arts, it is a question for the photographers to remove all that appears as too scientific. They move away from reality to give way to the interpretation and imagination of art. Aesthetic, plastic and subjective research is therefore necessary for them to transform photography, a means of expressing pure reality, into a fully-fledged art. Despite all the theories elaborated in specialized magazines, one cannot define a unique and coherent aesthetic; although pictorialism is a coherent movement, the practices are extremely heterogeneous.
What all Pictorialist photographs have in common is their aesthetic and poetic approach to reality. Most of the time, evocation is preferred to faithful representation, which is the very essence of photography. The plastic exploitation of the image goes through technical and optical innovations: the framing and the light are obviously inherent to the photographic process, the pictorialists add blurred contours and blurred tones.
There are two currents of pictorialists: the supporters of “pure photography”, more present in England as Peter Henry Emerson, and the followers of the retouching on the plate, including Robert Demachy and Constant Puyo. The manipulation of the image has been the subject of much controversy, since it becomes impossible to distinguish the photograph from engravings and drawings. Thus, for example, many of Robert Demachy’s photographs are reworked: the thickness of the gum bichromate is scraped with a pin and brushed to give these swirling effects in a poetic and mysterious atmosphere.
The research of aesthetic filiation
Pictorialism is above all opposed to the verism of the photographic technique. It does not claim to compete with painting but seeks aesthetic links with it in the claim of photography as an art. It is worth noting that photographers were careful to take only one photograph. An original and unique print could then be collected, and photography as “art” took on its full meaning.
Thus, photographers drew their inspiration from the entire history of Western painting, like Guido Rey with Vermeer. Robert Demachy, for his part, produced a photographic series on dancers intimately linked to the works of Edgar Degas.
The American Photo-Secession
The movement, essentially British in its beginnings, was nevertheless influenced in its later phase by American photography.
In 1902, the Photo-Secession group was founded in New York under the impetus of Alfred Stieglitz, the leader of American art photography. The pre-modernism of this new movement challenged the pictorialist theories by returning to original photography (i.e. without optical alteration). The Photo-Secession also preferred modern and industrial views (urban shots) to the “quest for a second reality “5 that was characteristic of the Pictorialists. The first photographic movement was then rejected even more violently by the New Vision of the 20th century, which considered it “anti-photographic “.
One of the most important publications for the promotion of pictorialism was the magazine Camera Work (1903-1917), founded by Alfred Stieglitz. Each issue featured about ten photographs reproduced in gravure or halftone, which are now highly sought after by collectors.
Conclusion
While it seems obvious to us today that photography can be perceived as an art, this was not the case when it was created. The pictorialists paved the way for the photographers of the 20th century.
Curated videos on Pictorialism
Curated links on pictorialist photography
PiKtorialismus portal
http://piktorialismus.smb.museum/index.php?lang=en
The Art Story
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/
Met Museum
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pict/hd_pict.htm
Contemporary pictorialism
In this link you wild find outstanding contemporary photographers working on styles close to pictorialism.
Artists include Jason Stark, Ewa Cwikla, Robert Dilworth and many others.
Bibliography on Pictorialism
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. Abbeville Press Publishers, 1984.
Gernsheim, Helmut, and Alison Gernsheim. The History of Photography: From the Camera Obscura to the Beginning of the Modern Era. McGraw-Hill, 1969.
Newhall, Beaumont. The History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present. The Museum of Modern Art, 1982.
Greenough, Sarah, et al. Picturing Modernity: The Photography Collection. National Gallery of Art, 2019.
Sobieszek, Robert A. Pictorialism in California: Photographs, 1900-1940. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Travis, David. Camera Work: A Critical Anthology. Aperture, 1973.
Taylor, Roger. Impressionist Camera: Pictorial Photography in Europe, 1888-1918. Yale University Press, 2006.
Jacobson, Ken. Odalisques and Arabesques: Orientalist Photography, 1839-1925. Bernard Quaritch, 2007.
Wood, John, ed. The Art of Photography: 1839-1989. Yale University Press, 1989.
Prodger, Phillip. Time Stands Still: Muybridge and the Instantaneous Photography Movement. Oxford University Press, 2003.
This article brilliantly captures the essence of this international aesthetic movement, tracing its roots from the innovative “dry plate” process to its peak in the early 20th century. The nuanced exploration of the movement’s principles, from its emphasis on simulating painting and etching to its poetic approach to reality, is truly enlightening. It’s intriguing to see how Pictorialism, as the very first school of artistic photography, paved the way for future photographers, challenging the boundaries between technique and art. The references to key figures like Heinrich Kühn, Constant Puyo, and Robert Demachy, as well as the mention of influential groups like the Photo-Secession, add depth to the narrative. It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Pictorialism that even today, we see its influence in contemporary photographic practices. Thank you for this comprehensive overview; it’s a valuable resource for both enthusiasts and scholars. Keep it doing! Cheers!
Dear Sibyl, thank you very much for your great comment!
This article on Pictorialism is truly enlightening!!! I appreciate the detailed account of the movement’s history and its emphasis on human intervention in photography. I feel however there’s room to discuss the wider cultural influences that shaped Pictorialism. How did the general public perceive photography as an art during that time? How did Pictorialism interact with other art movements globally? These aspects could offer an even richer understanding. Nonetheless, this piece has certainly deepened my appreciation for the art of photography. Great work!
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response and thoughtful remarks! We are thrilled to hear that the article has deepened your appreciation for the art of photography, particularly through the lens of Pictorialism. You’ve raised some very important points regarding the wider cultural influences that helped shape this movement, as well as how Pictorialism was perceived by the general public and its interactions with other global art movements. To touch briefly on your queries, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photography was undergoing a significant transformation in public perception. Initially seen more as a tool for documentation, there was a growing desire among photographers to elevate photography to the status of fine art. This was very much in line with the ethos of Pictorialism, which sought to emphasize artistic expression over mere photographic reproduction.
The general public’s reception to photography as an art form was mixed, with traditionalists often skeptical of its artistic value. However, movements like Pictorialism played a crucial role in challenging these perceptions, showcasing the photographer’s ability to manipulate the image into something that transcended ordinary sight, much like painting or sculpture.