Intro Photo _Abstract Realism_Roll

	Introduction to Photography Exploring Styles Assignment for Roll #3


Gwendlyn M-B. '97	John H. '99	Stephanie F. ' 05

Roll 3 : Styles

Straight Art Photography
& The Descriptive Detail

Option 1

Abstract Realism
& Unusual POV
Option 2

BACKGROUND

This option is based on the photographic aesthetics we call Straight Art Photography and Abstract Realism .

Straight Art Photography

Alfred Stieglitz :
"Apples and Gable" 1922

Tina Modotti :
"Staircase" 1925

Harry Callahan :
"Chicago Windows" 1948

Images Courtesy Masters of Photography

Straight Art photographers were interested in emphasizing photography's unique strengths and characteristics as an artistic medium. They were among the first to insist that photography could be an art form. They recognized that the camera allows artists to examine the world (and images of that world) in a detailed, naturalistic manner that is not possible with painting or drawing.

They were interested in revealing the relationship between the visual image of their subjects and the "essence," or natural character of their subject. They sought clarity and correspondence between the photographic subject and the way it was pictured or seen.

Edward Weston :
"Pepper No. 30" 1930
Image Courtesy Masters of Photography

Like their Modernist counterparts in early 20th century painting and sculpture, Straight Art photographers were influenced by the desire to observe "truth to materials." They wanted their pictures to demonstrate the integrity of the photographic process and the appropriate use of it's tools and materials.

Some photographers who belonged to or were influenced by the "Formalist" or "Straight Art" school are: Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Tina Modotti, Imogene Cunningham, and Harry Callahan.

Mimiuex Art History :
Cunningham, Weston, Adams

Mimiuex Art History:
Paul Strand

Edward Weston
& Modernism

HWMS Gallery | Straight Photography

HWMS Gallery | Descriptive Detail

HWMS Gallery | Plants & Flowers

Abstract Realism

Minor White:
"Windowsill Daydreaming" 1958
Image Courtesy Masters of Photography

Abstract Realists were Straight Art photographers who were also influenced by Abstract Expressionism, a style, or "school" of painting that was developed in America during the 1940-1960s.

Minor White and Aaron Siskind were the most prominent of the photographers we call the "Abstract Realists" (USA, 1940s -1970s).

Like their painterly counterparts, Franz_Kline, Robert_Motherwell, and Jackson_Pollack, White and Siskind explored the evocative nature of images which emphasized the formal elements of the visual language.

MOCA-LA
Aaron Siskind & Franz Kline
Expression Through
Abstraction

Mimiuex Art History:
The Effects of Abstract
Expressionism on
Modern Photography

Abstract Realists were interested in emphasizing the intuitive and poetic relationships between form (how something appears, is structured, or made) and content (what something is about, refers to, or signifies).

Like Abstract Expressionist painting, this emphasis caused Abstract Realist photography to become less narrative and ever more self-referential : instead of reporting or telling a visual documentary or story, the Abstract Realist's photograph was created as an evocative image, a springboard for the imagination.

In other words, even though the subjects of their photographs were taken from the real world, their photographs were not so much about the subject as they were about the lines, shapes, textures, spaces, and values that composed the image of the subject.

Abstract Realists were more interested in exploring the image of the subject than they were in telling a story about the subject.


Class of '07	Class of '00	Hannah S . ' 07

Unlike the painterly Abstract Expressionists, the photographers known as Abstract Realists did not attempt to eliminate all references to the Natural, or "real" world.

They believed that visual abstraction allowed the viewer to engage in personal reveries and poetic associations, even when these images referred directly to the "real," or natural world.

In this way, both Straight Art and Abstract Realist photographers embraced the natural world of objects and appearances, using the camera as a tool to reveal both essence and image.

Credit: Eric R. '99

Masters of Photography

MIMIEUX| Photo History

Credit: Lindsey G. '02

Regardless of their style of picture-making, most photographers and painters use the Principles of Composition to construct their pictures in a manner that emphasizes the Visual Elements, creating compositions which present dynamic arrangements of shape, line, texture, value, form, and space. The Flash buttons below will lead you to pages which explore Visual Analysis and The Elements and Principles of the Visual Language.

The Rule of Thirds

Likewise, The Rule of Thirds is a common guideline for composing the visual elements of your picture within the rectangular picture frame. Follow the link above to our page of links on the Rule of Thirds.

You may also use the “Dichotomies” chart to organize your abstract themes and to experiment with the Principles of Composition and Design (Balance, Focus, Rhythm, Movement, Pattern & Contrast).

Credit: Francis K. '07

Images Courtesy
Masters of Photography

Updated: April 23, 2005