Impression and Photography - The Influence of Impression on Photography

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IMPRESSIONISM AND PHOTOGRAPHY Change is a constant aspect of human life and cuts across all realms of life including art.

Art has come a long way to be what is now, where people can take instant 3D photos and videos of just about anything, including Space. Impressionism and photography mark a very remarkable turning point in the history of art and painting in general. Impressionism is widely depicted as a newly established form of painting that responded to the debut of photography1. However, through the subsequent interactions of photographers and impressionists, they influenced each other in one way or the other.

How Photography Influenced Painting Photography came at a time when manual painting or drawing was the only form of visual art. It revolutionized this period by taking real-life pictures of people, objects, and events as they were. According to popular reports, photography was officially invented in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre when he first introduced the ‘daguerreotype’- the world’s first commercial camera.

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Doble, Rick. "How Photography Changed Time." (2014).

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People became enthusiastic and embraced the new technology because it was quick,

cheap, and realistic.3 It made art accessible to the general public, changed their perception and visual culture, and made them appreciate beauty. Photographs were no longer a privilege of the well-off and were portables as well.

The breakthrough of photography was not only felt by the people but the painters as well.

Previously, paintings were dominated by mythical and religious themes and imaginations of influential people in history or the present society and focused on perfection in visual appearances. The entry of photography gave them a shift to less static moments and events, such as fleeting moments around them and day to day lives of the people. Painters began depicting their subject matter using photographs taken by cameras to inspire their representation of the moment.4 As a result, there was the creation of the impressionist movement as a new class of art that focus on capturing the “impression” of how a landscape, thing, or person appeared to them at a certain moment in time. Impressionism employed new tools, such as looser brushwork and lighter colors that were not used by painters before them.5 They deviated from the previous use of clarity and the traditional three-dimensional perspective that were used to focus important aspects of the picture more than the less important parts.

Influence on Impression on Photography Due to the convenience offered by photography, paintings were rapidly losing market.

Painters even questioned the need of painting if a picture could simply be taken by cameras in a 2

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5

Ibid

Mevlut, U. N. A. L., and Mahmut Sami OZTURK. "The Effects of Invention of Photography on Illustration." The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences 14 (2019): 117-121.

Rick. "How Photography Changed Time.

Mevlut, "The Effects of Invention of Photography on Illustration. 117-121.

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click. However, the entry of impressionism gave them a new vista. It was obvious that photography was lacking in some aspects. Painters took advantage of the limitation of photography to do things that photographers could not do.6 For instance, photography was largely black and white photos, while impressionism could incorporate colors into their work to make them more realistic. Instead of competing with the ability of the photograph to record a moment of truth’ the Impressionists, adopted different ways of focusing movements, colors, and light to represent things the way they saw them. In the early 20th century, impressionists like Steichen began using Chrono-photography, which would later develop into time-lapse photography.7 Later in the 1940s and 50s, expressionism developed to focus more on expressing ideas, experiences, and feelings rather than physical presentations of the world.

Through the deviations and adjustments impressionism made, impressionists had some remarkable achievements that would later shape the subsequent development of photography.

People do not usually prefer reality that much, but to would prefer to accompany it with adornment, embellishment, and even alter it completely.8 As a result, photography began evolving from just being a mechanical way of reproducing reality to a more artistic representation of its objects. Martinique reports that as painters used photography to closely examine light and asymmetrical, explore visual ambiguity and spontaneity, and crop spaces, photographers like Steichen also developed a mutual relationship to develop methods that made

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kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.”

WordPress. (2015).

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Mevlut, "The Effects of Invention of Photography on Illustration. 117-121.

Heilbrun, Françoise. "Impressionism and Photography." History of Photography 33, no.

1 (2009): 18-25.

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photographs less precise and more painterly.9 Photographers began using decorative backdrops to achieve schematic landscape backgrounds that were seen in paintings of impressionists like Manet. This can be seen in the works of photographers like Édouard Baldus and Frédéric Bazille.10

Left (painting): Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Woman with a Parasol in a Garden, 1875 / Right (Photograph): Constant Puyo - Female Nude in Nature.11

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Elena, Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History. “WIDEWALLS. (2019).

kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.”

WordPress 11 Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History.

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Left (painting): Edgar Degas - Head of a Woman, c. 1887-1890 / Right (photograph): Félix Nadar - Madame Audouard, 1854-1870.12 Colors made painting more appealing in some ways than photographs. This made photographers work toward the development of colored photos though this turned to be a distant reality. The Chronophotography adopted by earlier painters would be adopted by photographers in form of time-lapse photography.13 Photographers like Peter Henry Emerson also began looking for ways to infuse personal expression in photography to deviate it from the mere objectivity seen in pictures used for scientific and documentary purposes.14 Emerson captured landscapes and recreated atmospheric effects; a style seen in impressionists’ photographs and paintings lake those of Steichen.

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Ibid

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Rick. "How Photography Changed Time." kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.

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Edward Steichen - Flatiron Building, 190415 The technique of presenting photography as an expression and meaningful medium was widely adopted and extended by the photo-secession movement developed by Alfred Stieglitz alongside Edward Steichen, and Clarence White16. Their style was to use color, composition, and tonality to capture a subject matter beyond the regular reality seen in photography and made it more dreamlike or paint-like. The photographers tried to achieve something that look like the charcoal drawings used by painters and they achieved it. This saved them the criticism of “just a click of the shutter” and lack of talent as they realized that photography needed some human touch to photography make more appealing and move it to the next level.17 15

Ibid

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Stewart, D. "Stieglitz in focus-A new exhibition at Washington's National Gallery of Art tracks the development of seminal photographer Alfred Stieglitz." SMITHSONIAN 33, no. 3 (2002): 70-+.

Ibid

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Henri Peach Robinson - Fading Away, 185818

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Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History

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Edward Steichen Self-Portrait with Brush and Palette19 Why/What Motivated Impressionist Painters Impressionism as an important movement in the whole history of modern painting can be attributed to many motivators and triggers. As mentioned earlier, impression painters deviated considerably from the traditional or earlier paintings because they tried to depict virtual reality the way they saw it at the moment.20 They rebelled against classical subject matters that were mostly depictions of historical and mythological themes, or the lives of great men.

This new way of thinking and the desire to depict present reality must have motivation by the entry of photography. Impressionism can trace its origin to the 1860s when artists like Claude 19

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kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.”

Françoise. History of Photography 33

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Monet were fed up with the rejection of their work by The Solan, the all-important annual exhibition held by Académie des Beaux-Arts, on grounds that their works did not follow the conservative regularities in painting.21 Photography, on the other hand, appeared in the late 1830s in form of the daguerreotypes, which later progressed to the development of photographic prints on paper. Therefore, since photography existed before impressionism, it’s logical that impressionists borrowed some ideas from photography. Besides, photography was capturing real-life events and phenomena as they occurred, a trait that it shares with impressionism.

Martinique reports that painters were able to closely examine light and asymmetrical, explore visual ambiguity and spontaneity, and crop spaces of the photographs to develop their paintings more precisely.22 Since they wanted to represent nature at the moment, their work was moved from the traditional indoors studios to out of doors (en plein air) to capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight. However, with photography, they could capture and carry the photographers and paint nature indoors.23 Even though photography could have altered the imaginations of the impressionists, the revolution itself (impressionism) can be attributed to other factors. First, the impressionism painters were fed up by the constant rejection from the salons held by the Académie des BeauxArts, that forced them to embrace their conservative views of art.24 The salon favored conventional subject matters—including mythological, allegorical, and historical scenes— rendered in a realistic style. For instance, Monet who is one of the founders of Impressionism had had half of his works rejected from the Salon by 1863.25 Tired of those constant rejections, Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Impressionism."

Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date.

22 Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History.

23 Françoise. History of Photography 33 24 Rick. "How Photography Changed Time."

25 Britannica. "Impressionism." Encyclopedia Britannica, 21

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the bourgeoning group of impression painters decided to abandon the Salons to start their own movement and exhibitions.

The rebellion further received a boost from the compromise made by Emperor Napolean III to organize Salon des Refusés in 1863 (Salon of the Refused). Even with the negative connotation and lack of seriousness among viewers, the Salon gained unexpected popularity that surpassed that of regular salons. From the Salon, rejected impressionist artists such as Monet, Renoir, Pierre-Auguste, Edgar Degas, and other French artists (mainly Parisians) came together to form the group, the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, and so on.

Another move that pushed the success of impressionism was its official launch in 1874. The Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, and others organized a private exhibition in Paris that launched the Impressionism Movement. They even had a major groundbreaking impact on the reevaluation of art to a new form of techniques, color, and general aesthetics. Even though the exhibition was not popular among all critics at the time, it subsequently had a far-reaching impact. This was due to its new way of depicting the present world rather than moral lessons and previous idealities as seen in the mythological, religious, and historical paintings.26 The exhibitions that followed were bigger and more influential thereafter.

Between 1874 and 1886, the group organized eight exhibitions. Collectors, galleries, dealers, and viewers, also shared the liberation and ambitions that the impressionists enjoyed. As they gained a growing interest in the impressionists’ paintings, the new form of art also grew immensely.

Subsequently, as the impressionist began their official work as recognized artists, they started mimicking photography to take advantage of the convenience it offered and supplement its shortcomings. Through this move, they could favorably compete with photography and also set 26

Rick. "How Photography Changed Time."

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their own path. As Martinique reports, photography inspired impressionists to think of new ways of composing their artwork and develop new experimental techniques of painting27. They began using photographs for the portraiture painting process. With the aid of photographs, there was no need for tedious sittings of models. They could paint portraits with photographs in short sittings.

They could record landscapes using portable cameras and later complete the painting process in a studio.

Additionally, during the early development of photography, capturing a quality image required a long exposure with the camera. As a result, there was the creation of ‘shutter-drag’ characterized by blurred selections and beautiful fluid movements.28 Some artists like Degas opted to supplement this effect by recreating the whole painting and making it softer.

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Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History

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Rick. "How Photography Changed Time."

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The pose and elusive expression of a widely circulated photograph of Princess Metternich done

by Degas29 Additionally, there were other possibilities brought about by cameras that the impressionists started to exploit to make their artwork more sophisticated and creative. Previously, it was almost impossible to capture movements such as the gait of a horse in mid-step or a muscle in a state of tension. But with the stopping action brought about by the debut of photography, it was now possible, giving the painter a rejuvenation to explore more and achieve more.30 Edgar Degas was particularly interested in this mutual relationship between photography and painting that he studied both. These painters also learned and adopted the cropping technique as applied in photography to capture only the important parts of the subject in their paintings. This became one of the important compositional techniques impressionists adopted during this time. As such, it is evident that photography did not end painting but inspired painters, especially the impressionists to do more and be relevant in a time when capturing the moment and real-life objects had been made possible31. Such new possibilities and the need to be more original and authentic motivated the impressionists and pushed them to overcome opposition and criticism and achieve greater things.

The Reception of the Impressionists Paintings and Photographs Just like any other form of new knowledge, style, technology, or modification trying to override an older one, impressionism did not miss out on criticism, skepticism, and speculations.

Impressionism and the associated paintings were criticized and rejected right from their onset.32 29

Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History.

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Ibid

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32

Saunders, Max. "Lasting Impressions: The Legacies of Impressionism in Contemporary Culture by Jesse Matz." (2018): 379-386.

Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History.

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Though photography was widely accepted among the public because photographed portraits were easier and cheaper to produce than painted ones, impressionism found it difficult.

Photography made portraits accessible to underprivileged people in society. As a result, the upper-class stage a mild opposition to photography because they felt that it was cheapening art and overly democratizing it. ‘Kitsch’ founds its meaning from this opposition as something that tries to reproduce something unique and artistic in a massive and cheap manner33. For instance, according to Baudelaire, photography was a “refuge of failed painters with too little talent”. To them art was supposed to be a product of imagination, feeling, and judgments, as opposed to merely reproducing something and cheapening it.

Impression aimed to build beauty and aesthetic imagination of the momentary reality. Sharing this trait with photography and even using photographs in their artwork made them share in the criticism. Even the name itself was derived was an insult hurled by the press. Impressionist was a term used by an outraged art critic, Louis Leroy, in the satirical magazine Le Charivari in 1874, after looking at the work of Monet, Impression: Sunrise. He used the expression to deride the artist. Even though this group of artists decided to take the name, “impressionists”, they continued to receive scorn from the press and leaders and judges of the Salon, terming their works as “unfinished” and unfavorably comparing them to wallpaper.34 However, after the third exhibition (Salon des Refuses of 1876), people began appreciating impressionists and accepting their artworks. For instance, Octave Mirbeau (a journalist and art critic) described “the first Impressionist”, Cézanne calling him, Camille Pissarro. He wrote, "Camille Pissarro has been a revolutionary through the revitalized working methods with which he has endowed painting". From the same exhibitions, other art critics like Albert Wolff wrote 33

Ibid

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kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.”

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"Try to make Monsieur Pissarro understand that trees are not violet, that sky is not the color of fresh butter” adding “try to explain to Monsieur Renoir that a woman’s torso is not a mass of decomposing flesh with those purplish-green stains”.35 Apparently, they were received praises despite the continues criticism.

During this time when impressionism was striving to overcome criticism, photography had come to be widely accepted by the public and the upper class as well. Painters, particularly impressionists began to use photographs and photography techniques to make their paintings more appealing and attractive.36 It is possible that the remarkable achievement the impressionism painters and the continued notion that photography had no talent in it pushed photographers to incorporate more artistry in their work. This is seen in the works of the Photo-secession group established by Alfred Stieglitz in 1903, among them were Edward Steichen, Gertrude Kasebier, Clarence White, and Alvin Langdon Coburn. This group wanted photography to be recognized “as a distinctive medium of individual expression.”37 They printed photos using photogravure, the finest process for black-and-white reproduction. The photos mimic paintings so much so that exhibitors sometimes hanged them as paintings during exhibitions38. Those of Steichen, in particular, looked like paintings, charcoals, or washes.

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Ibid

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Stewart. SMITHSONIAN 33 Stewart. SMITHSONIAN 33

37 38

Ibid

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Edward Steichen Self-Portrait with Brush and Palette However, these paint-like photographs did not go without criticism. For instance, British playwright George Bernard Shaw held in 1907 that those who were involved in such practice “fails in respect for his art” and “is a traitor in the photographic camp.”39 Later, Stieglitz also rebelled against manipulating and adjusting photographs to be more like paintings. He said in 1913 that “Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs look like photographs.” He them praised photographers like Paul Strand, who did not use “trickery” and “flimflam” in order to “mystify an ignorant public.”40

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Stewart. SMITHSONIAN 33 Stewart. SMITHSONIAN 33

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Conclusion Virtual presentation, as an art, has come a long way and has undergone numerous changes.

Artists have had to take advantage of new possibilities and techniques adopted in the way and the changing human needs and capabilities. However, the changes did not come smoothly or get accepted right at their onset. Major changes in painting began at the entry of photography in 1839 and the onset of impressionism in the 1860s.41 Even though photography could have led to massive changes in paintings, paintings also influenced photography. The paint-like photographs produced by later-day impressionists like Steichen bear proof of the influence of paintings on photography. Therefore, it is important to study the history and advancement of painting and photography with due diligence to understand the relationship between them.

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Rick. "How Photography Changed Time." (2014).

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Bibliography Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Impressionism." Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date. https://www.britannica.com/art/Impressionism-art.

Doble, Rick. "How Photography Changed Time." (2014).

Elena, Martinique. “Photography, Exhibition Announcements, Art History. “ WIDEWALLS. (2019). https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/impressionistsphotography-museo-thyssen-bornemisza Heilbrun, Françoise. "Impressionism and Photography." History of Photography 33, no. 1 (2009): 18-25. kiamaartgallery. “Impressionism – The influence of Photography.”

WordPress. (2015). https://kiamaartgallery.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/impressionis m-the-influence-of-photography/ Mevlut, U. N. A. L., and Mahmut Sami OZTURK. "The Effects of Invention of Photography on Illustration." The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences 14 (2019): 117-121.

Stewart, D. "Stieglitz in focus-A new exhibition at Washington's National Gallery of Art tracks the development of seminal photographer Alfred Stieglitz." SMITHSONIAN 33, no. 3 (2002): 70-+.

Saunders, Max. "Lasting Impressions: The Legacies of Impressionism in Contemporary Culture

by Jesse Matz." (2018): 379-386.