AOM Meditations: 102919

 photography by Leonard Misonne

(an example of Pictorialism)

To me, the photo above feels inspired by the following painting

Rainy Day Paris Street (1877) Gustave Caillebotte

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Quotes from one of Uncle Walt's favorites:

Roger G. Ingersoll

“Until every soul is freely permitted to investigate every book, and creed, and dogma for itself, the world cannot be free. Mankind will be enslaved until there is mental grandeur enough to allow each man to have his thought and say. This earth will be a paradise when men can, upon all these questions differ, and yet grasp each other's hands as friends. It is amazing to me that a difference of opinion upon subjects that we know nothing with certainty about, should make us hate, persecute, and despise each other. 

~Robert G. Ingersoll

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“As man develops, he places a greater value upon his own rights. Liberty becomes a grander and diviner thing. As he values his own rights, he begins to value the rights of others. And when all men give to all others all the rights they claim for themselves, this world will be civilized.”

~Robert G. Ingersoll

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“Justice is the only worship.

Love is the only priest.

Ignorance is the only slavery.

Happiness is the only good.

The time to be happy is now,

The place to be happy is here,

The way to be happy is to make others so.
Wisdom is the science of happiness.”

~Robert G. Ingersoll

AOM Meditatons: PICTORIALISM

The Breeze (1909) by Anne Brigman

(an example of Pictorialism)

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“What I like about photographs 

is that they capture a moment 

that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”

~Karl Lagerfeld

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“When you photograph people in color, 

you photograph their clothes. 

But when you photograph people in Black and white, 

you photograph their souls!”

~Ted Grant

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“Photography is a reality so subtle 

that it becomes more real than reality.”

~Alfred Stieglitz

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“Photographers tend not to photograph what they can’t see, which is the very reason one should try to attempt it. Otherwise we’re going to go on forever just photographing more faces and more rooms and more places. Photography has to transcend description. It has to go beyond description to bring insight into the subject, or reveal the subject, not as it looks, but how does it feel?”

~Duane Michals

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A Friend and I were discussing 

this photograph by Leonard Misonne 

that I posted on Friday. 

This brought up the subject of Pictorialism. 

What is that and why does it matter?

When photography was invented in the 1830s, it was viewed as a way to document accurate visual records - not, and in no way, an art form. In the 1850s this view began to be challenged as photographers began to suggest that photography could be artistic. This view became known as Pictorialism. "Pictorialists took the medium of photography and reinvented it as an art form, placing beauty, tonality, and composition above creating an accurate visual record. Through their creations, the movement strove to elevate photography to the same level as painting and have it recognized as such by galleries and other artistic institutions."(Source)

To help us understand Pictorialism better

I found this very insightful video to share

Thinking About Pictorialism

Naturalism and Artifice

(around 14 minutes)

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/Coa0QYTmh28