ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHY of the 19th CENTURY
Painting and its Relationship to Photography
The fine art movements of this century were Romanticism and Impressionism.
The Impressionist movement was partially due to a new invention: the photograph. For centuries painters had worked to master techniques for the most realistic results possible. However, with cameras and photographs capable of producing exact replicas of an image, painters gained greater freedom. Artists were no longer the only means of recording an image and could choose to focus on something in their art besides realistic replication. Impressionist artists were influenced by the invention of the camera, because it gave them a cropped composition. It also showed the tonal effects of light and dark in much finer detail; making it easier for artists to capture the tone in their compositions.
The Impressionist movement was partially due to a new invention: the photograph. For centuries painters had worked to master techniques for the most realistic results possible. However, with cameras and photographs capable of producing exact replicas of an image, painters gained greater freedom. Artists were no longer the only means of recording an image and could choose to focus on something in their art besides realistic replication. Impressionist artists were influenced by the invention of the camera, because it gave them a cropped composition. It also showed the tonal effects of light and dark in much finer detail; making it easier for artists to capture the tone in their compositions.
LITHOGRAPHY & THE ROTARY LITHOGRAPHIC PRESS
Influences on the Graphic Arts.
Lithography or litho printing is a relatively young form of printing as compared to screen printing and others methods. The process was discovered by Alois Senefelder in 1799 and ultimately changed the face of the printing industry. Senefelder is also recognized with the discovery of the transfer process. Through trial and error he realized that he could transfer illustrations and scripts from paper onto the lithographic stone to create the printing image. This discovery gave birth to ability to ‘copy’ as well as the redundancy of reverse imaging.
It was only around the mid 1800’s that Litho color printing was discovered and the art of litho printing became even more popular towards the late eighteenth century when the first rotary lithographic press was invented. This allowed for the mass production of prints similar to that of letterpress printing but unfortunately the abrasive action of the rotary machine made the images on the stone plates wear off too soon and the rotary lithographic presses never really became popular.
Lithography however got another boost in1855 with the advent of Photolithography. Again, difficulties in the creating of the lithographic plates resulted in this printing technique becoming dormant. But the wait was not too long and by the late 1800’s the lithographic offset press was invented which ultimately resulted in lithography really taking off and more interest taken in this printing technique.
This brings us to present day where limestone plates have been replaced by metal plates for the stencils and three roller offset presses introduced. Lithographic printing or lithography has come a long way from its point of origin and has further been refined by MNI printer's processes to deliver large quantity and high quality prints and really affordably rates.
It was only around the mid 1800’s that Litho color printing was discovered and the art of litho printing became even more popular towards the late eighteenth century when the first rotary lithographic press was invented. This allowed for the mass production of prints similar to that of letterpress printing but unfortunately the abrasive action of the rotary machine made the images on the stone plates wear off too soon and the rotary lithographic presses never really became popular.
Lithography however got another boost in1855 with the advent of Photolithography. Again, difficulties in the creating of the lithographic plates resulted in this printing technique becoming dormant. But the wait was not too long and by the late 1800’s the lithographic offset press was invented which ultimately resulted in lithography really taking off and more interest taken in this printing technique.
This brings us to present day where limestone plates have been replaced by metal plates for the stencils and three roller offset presses introduced. Lithographic printing or lithography has come a long way from its point of origin and has further been refined by MNI printer's processes to deliver large quantity and high quality prints and really affordably rates.
Graphic Arts of the Period.
THE ARTS AND CRAFT MOVEMENT
The Arts and Crafts movement emerged during the late Victorian period in England, the most industrialized country in the world at that time. Anxieties about industrial life fueled a positive revaluation of handcraftsmanship and precapitalist forms of culture and society. Arts and Crafts designers sought to improve standards of decorative design, believed to have been debased by mechanization, and to create environments in which beautiful and fine workmanship governed. The Arts and Crafts movement did not promote a particular style, but it did advocate reform as part of its philosophy and instigated a critique of industrial labor; as modern machines replaced workers, Arts and Crafts proponents called for an end to the division of labor and advanced the designer as craftsman.
Main Artists:
The Arts and Crafts Movement is seen as the bridge between traditional Victorian value and the modern movement. It emphasized proportion, simplicity of form and fitness for purpose. By the end of the era, William Morris, one of the main artists, had inspired the Private Press Movement which raised the standards of commercial printing and publishing.
Main Artists:
- Walter Crane
- John Ruskin
- William Morris
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Gustav Stickley
- Elbert Hubbard
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Dirk Van Erp
- Charles & Henry Greene
The Arts and Crafts Movement is seen as the bridge between traditional Victorian value and the modern movement. It emphasized proportion, simplicity of form and fitness for purpose. By the end of the era, William Morris, one of the main artists, had inspired the Private Press Movement which raised the standards of commercial printing and publishing.
UKIYO-E & ART NOVEAU
The Japanese “Floating World “ posters , prints and paintings revolutionized Western design in the late 19th century.
UKIYO-E: The art of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), originated in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo) during the period of Japanese history, when the political and military power was in the hands of the shoguns, and the country was virtually isolated from the rest of the world. It is an art closely connected with the pleasures of theatres, restaurants, teahouses, geisha and courtesans in the even then very large city. Many ukiyo-e prints by artists like Utamaro and Sharaku were in fact posters, advertising theatre performances and brothels, or idol portraits of popular actors and beautiful teahouse girls. But this more or less sophisticated world of urban pleasures was also animated by the traditional Japanese love of nature, and ukiyo-e artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige have had an enormous impact on landscape painting all over the world. ART NOUVEAU: The Art Nouveau movement occurred in the late 19th century from about 1894 to 1914, and was represented in Europe as well as in the United States. In each country “Art Nouveau” had a different meaning and identity, and artists were often piqued against each other in defining the art period. In summary, Art Nouveau is the avant-garde movement of the period in reaction to historical and academic perspectives. Art Nouveau artists wished to blur the lines between famous and minor artists, and unifying all arts, and unifying art with everyday human life – in essence, the art of the period became part of the architecture, placards, and jewelry in an attempt to combine life and art. Art Nouveau is characterized by its elegant decorative style, detailed patterns, curving lines, and art innovation. Leading artists include Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and the glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany. The late-nineteenth-century Western mania for all things Japanese is called Japonisme. Japanese artifacts streamed into Europe, and several books on Japanese art and ornament were published during the 1880s. Although ukiyo-e practitioners were considered mere artisans in Japan, they captivated European artists, who drew inspiration from the calligraphic line drawing, abstraction and simplification of natural appearances, flat color and silhouettes, unconventional use of bold black shapes, and decorative patterns. Subjects often became emblematic symbols, reduced to graphic interpretations conveying their essence. Landscape and interior environments were frequently presented as suggestive impressions rather than detailed depictions. Too often, ukiyo-e has been venerated for its catalytic impact on Western art rather than for its independent major achievements in graphic illustration and design. This is what partially influenced art nouveau.
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