The Definition of Art Photography

Trying to define, and justify, any type of art will always be a little tricky. The things that make one style of photography and art movement important can often be overlooked for decades. However, there are a few key things to look for when considering what separates art from general photography.

Art photography is in line with the goals of the photographer. This is designed to elicit an emotional response, communicate a message, or explore the formal aspects of photography as a medium. The process of creating art is often an intentional one. Even if the photography isn’t recognized as art for years, its artistic qualities will stand the test of time.

Photography can also become art in retrospect. Photographers like the legendary Dorothea Lange started off as documentarians and are now recognized as some of the finest art photographers to have lived.

Before Photography Became an Art

It might surprise you to learn that the first device that we would recognize as a camera was invented in the year 1021. This was known as the camera obscura. Interestingly enough, it shared a lot of problems that held photography back as an art until the mid 1850s.

Early photography had a few big problems. It wasn’t until the early to mid-1800s that cameras could capture images on film stock. The film used then was incredibly fragile and very expensive.

It was also challenging to replicate images on a scale that could be enjoyed in an art gallery.

Most early photographers were considered to be technicians by the general public. They were skilled tradespeople that knew how to operate the complicated machinery and chemistry behind taking photographs. It wasn’t until the 1850s that photography became an art.

The 1850s and the Dawn of Art Photography

In 1853, The Photographic Society of London became the first major group focused on photography as an art. The next year, the Société Française de Photographie was founded with similar goals. These two groups became flagships in a sea of budding photography groups that discussed the craft, and art, of photography.

In 1852, Sir William Newton gave a reading of his paper titled Upon Photography in an Artistic View which advocated for a particular style of photography. This would come to define art photography for the next three decades.

Newton’s paper argued that art photography should seek to emulate the artistic qualities of classical paintings. He advised art photographers to throw their subject slightly out of focus, use re-touching, and post-production extensively to achieve the desired effect. Many art photographs of this time we’re composite images made up of five or more individual photographs.

It would be another three decades before nature photography would be able to claim its space in the art photography world.

Natural Photography Becomes Art in the 1880s

In 1889, photographer Peter Henry Emerson published a groundbreaking work titled Naturalistic Photography. This essay outlined the philosophy of photography he had been working on for the preceding decade. It argued that the qualities of photography made it artistic on its own. This style argued that photography didn’t need to be touched up to replicate classical painting.

Emerson’s style became known as Naturalistic Photography from the essay that inspired it. This style of photography did away with staged actors, soft focus, and composites made of multiple images. These were shots taken directly from life and then displayed as artwork.

Fans of the style believe that it allowed the inherent qualities of photography to stand out. Naturalistic photography is often considered the moment where photography branches out to an art form. At this point, photography is no longer bound by the rules of closely related art styles, such as painting, and begins to be recognized for its own artistic merit.

The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring and Photography Salons

Fast forward a decade later to 1892. Photography as an art form is getting more popular than it’s ever been. New photography groups are popping up all over the world including Germany, Italy, and India. One of these new photography groups was the Brotherhood of the Linked Ring.

The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring rejected the idea that photography had to be a strictly technical concept. These were artists approaching photography from new angles and trying out new styles. The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring was made of countless individuals with their own individual styles, all sharing a belief that photography was a valid art form.

From 1893 to 1909, The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring staged photography art galleries they referred to as “salons.” These salons allowed them to explore new art styles and show the depth of the potential that photography had to offer for artists.

New Objectivity

Photography continued to develop as an art form for the next two decades. The mainstream focus was on realistic photography that did not involve touch-ups or post-processing. There was still a strong rejection of the photographic styles of the 1850s.

New objectivity continued this trend and moved it forward. Photographs were still to be composed in the lens and not touched up or cropped it all, but they now took more experimental looks at their subjects.

Styles that grew out of New Objectivity, like Constructivism, sought to take photographs of everyday objects and change how people view them. Edward Weston’s Dunes, Oceano is one of the clear examples of these new trends in photography.

The Work of Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams grew out of the New Objectivity style. His photography helped plant the seed that would grow into the National Parks system. Ansel Adams also foresaw changes that were coming to photography.

The biggest one was that Ansel Adams was not afraid to alter his photographs. He used extensive touch-ups in post-production to make his photos recreate his experience rather than the cameras.

Art Photography Begins to Experiment with Form

The age of Rayogrpahs, Vortographs, and Photograms bloomed shortly after 1916. This was a new focus on the photograph as an artistic medium. Photographers began to experiment with post-production and editing techniques.

New kinds of film were developed as were strange new styles. Photographers began creating art photos in which there was no clear subject. These photographs were similar to abstract paintings and the art of the Dadaist movement.

This era of art photography was also deeply political. Much like the Dadaist artist that inspired it, the early age of experimental photography was expressly dedicated to liberatory politics and resisted emerging fascist movements such as the Nazis in Germany.

The Rise of Documentary Photography

The Great Depression had impacts on all aspects of fine art. One of the most notable ones was the rise of documentary style photography as its own artistic movement.

During the Great Depression, the United States government had several programs that employed countless artisans across the country. One of them involved commissioning over 250,000 photographs to be taken across the country to document life during the Great Depression.

Dorothea Lange was one of these photographers. Today, Lange is recognized as one of the greatest naturalistic or documentary photographers of all time. While this work was seen as more clerical and technical during its day, it quickly became recognized for its historic and artistic qualities.

Smartphone Photography as Art Photography

We’re going to fast forward some sixty years of history. In the year 2000, the first camera phone was released. This fundamentally changed photography by putting a camera in the hands of millions of people across the world.

Smartphone photography often has a journalistic or biographical quality to it. Most people aren’t considering their photographs to be artistic statements, but rather expressions and recordings of their daily lives. However, in 2016 the Met Art Gallery held a display dedicated to smartphone photographers.

We’re currently living through a renaissance of multiple different styles of photography. Street photography, the retro Lomography style, and digital and glitch art are reshaping how we look at this unique medium. What the future holds for photography is going to be exciting.

Author bio: Hello, my name is James Miller. I’m the founder of Photographer Touch. I’ve been photographing for the past 18 years, and my mission is to simplify this misunderstood art of taking and processing photographs I love. Find out more at https://photographertouch.com/

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The Black Lives Matter movement has helped our entire society understand the dominant forces of white supremacy that have run our nation for hundreds of years. This movement is just one example of the influences of this centuries-old approach on our culture. Further, it gives us a course of action for how we can change it. And this all starts with inclusion and diversity.

The state of diversity in the art industry

No industry or organization is immune from this awakening. And that includes the world of art.

Nearly two million Americans consider themselves artists. Yet, most of what America views as art is produced predominantly by white artists. In New York City galleries alone, 88 percent of artists featured are white.

Institutional racism keeps Black people locked out of the art world, putting these talented artists in a disadvantaged position, subject to exploitation and discrimination.

The danger lies when we, as a society and fellow artists, pretend we don’t see it or worse, feel we can’t do anything to change the narrative.

Here are a few ways to encourage diversity in the art world and support Black artists.

Use the wow factor to pioneer change

Photographer and artist, Brien Hollowell, knows the pressure of having to deliver. “As a Black artist, I am always searching for how to bring beautiful work to the table and deliver the story of how my journey as an artist began,” Hollowell says.

His work on the soon-to-open Clayton Members Club in Denver did exactly that. With a mixture of previous work and brand-new features, Hollowell’s goal was to wow his audience with cutting-edge work. Incorporating Black life and art into the walls of a historically one-dimensional experience was important to the founders of the Clayton Club and Brien’s photography brings to life the everyday and extraordinary.

Art has the ability to make people experience the world in a new way and challenge their perspectives. Take the Don’t Hide mural installation at 14th & Stout for instance. Housed along Denver’s theater district, the expansive installation is the largest mural ever created by renowned street artist Shantell Martin and tells the story of the process, creating a piece with no defined beginning or end.

When looking at art for your organization, remember to consider more than just the interior walls. A parking garage, exterior wall, or even a fence can make for a unique art experience.

Embrace the lessons in history and storytelling

Art tells a story and shapes our views of the world. For Kendra Dandy, the artist behind some of the vibrant works at the forthcoming Catbird Hotel in Denver, art gives insight into the lived experience.

“Being a Black artist means being able to express my creativity through a unique perspective due to what we’ve experienced in our lives and through our culture,” says Dandy.

There are many ways to embrace history and diversity when it comes to your immersive artworks. There’s no better place to start than with the artists themselves. At NINE dot ARTS, clients are often told that it’s easy to hang art on the walls. But having an artist articulate their inspiration allows viewers to understand the vision and connect with the history and experience of the piece.

Another way is to incorporate local artifacts and regional significance into art design. Find ways to embrace the culture of your space and the community you serve. Even the most historic areas can benefit from an immersive art experience.

Creating narrative events is also important in telling the story of your project, the local community, and the artist’s experiences. In Martin’s “Don’t Mind. You + Me” bench sculpture, a message of togetherness springs forth from her design through bold, yet straightforward words and her trademark style of black and white drawings. As a self-described “cultural facilitator,” Martin emphasizes the way colors, shapes, philosophies, and identities are intertwined, chronicling the connected paths of us all.

Bring the right voices to the table

Inclusion and diversity begin with the understanding that life is viewed from a myriad of perspectives. By bringing different voices to the table, you directly address the deficits in your way of thinking and doing business. It gives you a fuller, multi-faceted view of the world.

As you begin to create immersive art experiences, don’t just focus on the message you’re hoping will connect with your audience. Focus also on who should deliver that message.

The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation knows firsthand the importance of art. As one of the leading arts funding foundations in Denver, they wanted their new space to express the beauty of the local arts community they support. Critical to this endeavor was the use of multiple, diverse voices from established and emerging local artists. They even created a bilingual curatorial packet of the art collection for non-English speaking visitors to the space.

This is just one example of how an inclusive art experience can enable important and valuable perspectives. Yet sadly, diversity is often not thought of when it comes to art projects.

“It’s only recently that institutions across the country have exhibited and collected the work of Black artists in significant numbers,” says Floyd Tunson, the artist behind multiple pieces at The Elizabeth Hotel. “As art centers become more inclusive, they’ll be better for it.”

This kind of inclusion doesn’t only impact the audience. Inclusion matters to up and coming artists looking to see their faces and voices reflected. “When I started as a photographer in Denver, I didn’t have any Black artist role models locally,” says Hollowell. “However, in New York, I was surrounded by many talented Black photographers. The things I learned there allowed me to pioneer my way here.”

It’s time to embrace diversity in art

Art brings heart to an organization. It provides eye-opening opportunities to have important conversations about race, history, and power. It requires multiple voices and vulnerable, honest communication.

This all begins with more representation for artists of color and increased support. “In the commercial art world, Black artists, except for a very few, fall behind when it comes to commanding top prices for top-level work,” says Tunson.

Yet, he is hopeful this will soon change. And for NINE dot ARTS, we believe it must. The more diversity you have, the more you realize the truth of the world. And art can be the catalyst to make sure that story is told.

About the Author: Martha Weidmann, CEO, and co-founder of NINE dot ARTS

Martha’s deep understanding of the art business and tenacious drive for business success is something all her own. As CEO and co-founder of NINE dot ARTS, Martha oversees all business operations and is basically our head cheerleader and evangelist to the world. Martha graduated from Colorado State University with a dual major – Communications and Fine Arts. She started her career with Walker Fine Art gallery in Denver, then moved on to the most prestigious art consulting firm (at the time) in the region, McGrath and Braun, from which NINE dot ARTS was born.

The post History and Diversity: Creating Immersive Experiences Using Community Collaboration appeared first on Art Business News.

Plastic art is a term often used in the art world to describe this type of art. Plastic art is that which involves modeling or molding, and art representing solid objects usually in three-dimensional forms. In the past, this form of art was often carved out of stone, although it began to include other media, like metals, plasters, clay, and in more modern times plastic itself.

Most of these media are becoming more accepted as official forms of plastic art, and a subset of the visual arts, in the Modern Era. When artists, painters, and eventually those working in plastic arts were starting to experiment with methods and processes outside the traditional wall sculpture forms of the old masters, plastic art came to have higher recognition and appreciation.

1. The Types of Wall Sculpture

Throughout history, wall sculpture has been categorized and described in different ways, and types. It can depend on the media, the way it sits in relation to the wall, or, if it is free standing, how and where it is placed. The names have changed over the years and most people have no idea how to differentiate the various wall sculpture types as they observe them. 

In the old schools of art, a wall sculpture was described as low relief if it sits close to the wall. High relief if half or more of the sculpture projects from the wall, and sunken relief if the sculpture is below the surface level of the surrounding area by half or more of its circumference.

There are three main types of wall sculptures according to the process in which the sculpture is made: carved, modeled, or assembled. Carved describes the process in which material is removed; modeled, the process in which the artist builds up the material; and assembled, where the artist uses predeveloped pieces, joining them to the formation.

There is one final type you should consider called Staticciato. This type depends on how pale colors and surroundings react to the light. This particular type is made by using very fine chisel lines and carvings. It has a very low recessed profile within its surrounding area and to give the illusion of greater depth, the thickness gradually decreases from the foreground to the background.

2. Contemporary Art Defined

Depending on who you ask Contemporary Art can be defined in two ways. It can mean the use of the word “contemporary” as art made in this lifetime. It can also mean an era of art that began in the early years of modernism. In 1910, Roger Fry founded the first Society for Contemporary Art and several more followed in various places in the 1930s. If you are trying to find a way to gather distinctions between Modern and Contemporary works of art, some would say that Modern Art dares to examine and change the traditions, and Contemporary works cause us to examine and find the art in each work.

3. Wall Sculpture is Still Alive

Unsurprisingly, many people today think wall sculpting is a lost art. Most of this type of sculpture are on buildings in ancient cities and are known through photographs in books.

But today there are sculpture artists still chiseling away, building up, and molding beautiful works of art. Using the techniques of the Old Masters right beside the techniques learned and applied in the Modern Era. One of those is Goga Tandashvili, a multimedia artist from Russia.

Using a process of sketching and building up, his works look like they were formed within the wall they are suspended on. He uses Impressionist techniques, creating wall sculpture that serves both as decoration and large beautiful works of art.

Brad Spencer is a North Carolina artist that is changing the face of brick walls. Literally, creating beautiful art pieces where the brick seems to come alive with his creations. Brick sculpture has a history all the way to Ancient Egypt. The lines of the masonry brickwork, intersecting with the lines of the sculpture, draws one’s eye to the art in new ways.

4. Contemporary Art Makes You Think in New Ways

Modernism is art with a focus on referencing, expressing, and interacting with self. Impressionism plays with a reference of light, and shape, and our perception of it at a specific moment in time.

Contemporary Art has a tendency to make us ask questions. Often questions like Why? What’s the point? This art often feels contradictory, somewhat or completely open-ended, and may even leave us feeling confused.   

5. Themes of Contemporary Art

Naturally, if a work of art is abstract, or open-ended, trying to figure out some of the limits of a specific category can be a bit of a struggle. As with any art movement, Contemporary Art does have its themes. Notable themes of Contemporary Art  are contemporary society and its culture, migration and globalization, memories and time, criticism of institutional and political climates, identity and the body, are just some of the more easily recognized themes.

History Written in Stone

Research a little of the plastic arts, and you will find art that has been around for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Why aren’t the plastic arts in the current Post Modern Era more prominent? Is that because they can be one of the more time-consuming forms of art media? Is it because the works of the Old Masters were just too good, or maybe just too revered? Or are our modern buildings designed without this type of wall sculpture in mind?

Take time to appreciate and enjoy wall sculpture. Whether it is Modern, Contemporary, or even the Old Masters ancient wall sculptures, it is worth slowing down to take in the details. When a piece piques your curiosity and interest, find out more about it, the art form, and artist and see where it takes you.

Whitney Creath is a copy writer at MacfineArt.com Her desire is to write innovative, honest and engaging copy that helps businesses and blogs thrive. She has written content, copy-written, and helped with social media content for several different companies. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, art, music, and the beach, and sometimes all of those things at the same time. If you would like to follow her work you can find her writing projects, and more on Facebook, and Twitter. 

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