Table of Contents
From the end of the 19th century, photography as a creative, visual means of expression became widely known - initially in the US - in magazines and magazines. The device, which was new and very modern at the time, was picked up by photographers and developed into a new art form. Today, the American photographers Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) and Edward Steichen (1879-1973) are considered the pioneers who introduced photography as photographic art in museums, galleries and thus asrecognized art. Alfred Stieglitz, for example, founded the "291" gallery in New York in 1905, which exclusively exhibited avant-garde art in photography, painting and sculpture.
1920: focus on modernism
After 1920, with a focus on modernism, the spirit of the times developed into very sharply displayed images. The hazy days of painting and the hazy images of the beginning of photography were left behind and people turned to landscape photography (e.g. Edward Westen, Ansel Adams, etc.). Art forms such as cubism had an important influence on photography and became examplescontinued by Bernd and Hilla Becher in Germany.
In the early 1920s, photography first established itself in magazines and magazines. You all know the photos that show photographers behind large and heavy plate cameras and powder flashes. With the introduction of the 35mm format, photography became increasingly mobile.
Photography moved from the studios of portrait photographers to the field of landscape and architectural photography. But even then the much larger fields were fashion and reportage photography. The viewers of the photos took up this new, sharp and objective representation of reality as a beneficial form of documentation in magazines and magazines. Along with this, photography was used by some photographers for more than just reportage and documentation purposes. It was increasingly seen as a visual/creative expression tool. Yet it would take several decades before photography - as an art form - would receive the appreciation it deservesdeserved.
Pioneer Henri Cartier-Bersson
Pioneers such as the Frenchman Henri Cartier-Bersson devoted themselves to photography from 1930, after he had studied painting. As was customary at the time, he started his career with reports from numerous trips. Like many photographers, he focused on the perfect composition of the photo as possible. For example, it is known that Cartier-Bersson always used the full negative format to eliminate subsequent cropping and the associated loss of quality. The Leica he used was always equipped with the 50mm standard lens. In 1947, Cartier-Bersson dedicated onemajor retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in which he himself participated. Not only this milestone in photography can be considered art.
Today the photographers of that time are clearly appreciated. The well-archived negatives of the master photographers of the period are not accessible to the public and the few freely available works are rare and very expensive.
But with all the possibilities of today's digital photography, including digital imaging, there are many more opportunities for creative exploration in the field of photography. Nowadays, the concept of art itself gives photographers complete freedom. If we look, for example, at the Düsseldorf Photography School, which is famous worldwide, we see that the new objectivity, which was shaped by the photographers Becher, can today be significantly expanded through the art of digital image processing.
However, the central point of discussion is what is allowed and what is not allowed? Traditionalists see digital editing, at least as far as that goesthat goes beyond digital image development, as a danger to the perfectly crafted work of art. Today's avant-gardists work free from all limitations and combine all the creative and technical possibilities of photography in their work. This often produces results that have little or nothing in common with objectivity/reality.
Many viewers of contemporary photographic art simply state: I could have done that too! Objectively speaking, a very vague statement. Since manual dexterity is no longer required in the production of the image, it is possible for everyone to create works of art. So where is the key tosuccess? The real trick is convincing the audience that a photo is a work of art. Here it is not only the photographer's training that guarantees success, it also requires networks in the art world and curators who declare an artist an artist and determine the value of his or her works. Of course, this also determines the demand.
So let's summarize: Since the early 19th century, photography has developed as a recognized art form. Here the phrase “art comes from skill” is of utmost importance for its content.
