Hello everyone! When we look at the history of photography, we now know that there are many periods. In the last blog post, we talked about the rise of Pictorialism. Representatives of this movement formed the Linked Ring in Europe. So what was going on in America during this period? Let’s learn together!
After the Linked Ring was created in Europe, similar sentiments prevailed among amateur photography clubs in the United States. In 1902 Alfred Stieglitz, an advocate of aesthetic and Pictorial photography, formed a group called Photo-Secession. As the century is changing, Pictorialism has given way to Photo Secession, a group of photographers whose aim is to raise photography to the level of fine art. The purpose of Photo-Secession, as it was officially announced, was to hold together Americans who committed themselves to achieving greater recognition of pictorialism, not as a servant of the arts, but as a distinctive tool of individual expression. One of the authors of the American Photography Journal, Maude S.G. Oliver emphasized the contributions of Photo Secessionists to the history of photography in his 1907 article titled “The Photo Secession in America” with these words; these few random posts dealing with the achievements of individuals affiliated with this new school of photography in America have been at least representative, although far from complete. This wonder child of the nineteenth century is positioned as a symbol of the age of science. Photography is as plastic as clay in the hands of a master, as mobile as a brush, and on the same level as her sister’s art. Add the successes of the camera to the already known achievements of the brush, the unmistakable sweetness of the Light itself becomes the fanciful creations of a Poet’s taste, and the result is the perfect fixation of the soul of hitherto unknown things. Science is laid before art like a helpful proposition.
Galeri 291 and Camera Work
Photo Secessionists exhibited their work at Stieglitz’s own gallery, Gallery 291, and set a new standard for photography club publications with their official journal, Camera Work. This publication continued until 1917 and published hand-worked photo-engravings, reviews, and reproductions of works by leading artists. The female photographers named below were members of the Photo Secessionist group; Anne Brigman, Zaida Ben Yusuf, Alice Boughton, Elizabeth Bessie Buehrmann, Myra Albert Wiggins, Francis Benjamin Johnston and Gertrude Käsebier. A number of women who have participated in Pictorialism’s earlier work have also joined Photo Secessionists, including Eva Watson-Schutze, and Sarah C. Sears.
Gertrude Käsebier: First woman to be accepted for Linked Ring
Gertrude Käsebier is arguably the most successful of any American portrait photographer of the first decade of the twentieth century, as the first female photographer accepted into the Linked Ring in 1900. Käsebier’s passion for photography, which started as a hobby, later led her to art photography and eventually became one of the most accepted photographers of portrait photography. The theme of mother and child dominated Käsebier’s photographs and her photographs were counted abroad.
Before choosing photography as a profession, Käsebier was one of the artists who studied painting ―and although it did not create a sense of imitation, her sharp and unmistakable perception and clever inventions largely reflected her experience as a painter in the art of photography.
Photo aesthetics discussions
From 1908, Stieglitz’s interest in Pictorial photography waned and his successes in Pictorial photography began to fade in the light of what his trainers Steichen and Max Weber taught about European modernist art. Pictorialism could not adequately adapt to Stieglitz’s approach to photography and the photographic features underlying photography. Finding support from the early publications of the art critic Sadakichi Hartmann in 1904, Stieglitz started the discussion of photographic aesthetics, which continues even today, by contrasting Pictorialism to the “Straight Photography” approach that he himself had begun to adopt.
By 1910, Alfred Stieglitz, the founder of the movement, organized a grand finale to the fine arts war of pictorialism. This was the International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography exhibited at the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo. The exhibition aimed to summarize the history and achievements of Pictorialism. In this exhibition, Stieglitz exhibited prints by photographers from other groups, in addition to photographs of members of the Photo Secession group. Other pictorial photographers who are not members of Photo Secession were also privileged and included in the exhibition in the Open Section selected by a jury. In the Albright Gallery exhibition, the historical background of Pictorial practices was brought together, the work done by Photo Secession was justified, and a summary image from pictorial photography was presented. With the acceptance of photography by the Albright Art Gallery and the recognition of photography as fine art, it can be said that Photo Secessions have achieved their goals.
What days have they been, haven’t they? ☺
Until the next post, take care my friends ☺