How realistic should a work of art be?
What are the respective roles of truth and beauty in art?
What makes a painting, or a photograph, a true work of art?
Just before Mike and I left for Mexico, I happened to catch a fabulous
photography ( now closed) exhibit in Washington at the Phillips Gallery:
“Truth,Beauty”.
Kodak became a household word in 1888 when George Eastman, a banker by profession, developed a camera for everyday usage. The slogan used for marketing the new device was "You press the button - we do the rest" ( akin to ‘so simple a caveman could do it’???). Professional photographers took offense: their turf was being invaded by commoners!
The boundaries between painting and photography blurred as the dual movements of Impressionism and Pictorialism emerged simultaneously. Photographers softened their lenses. Light had more of an ethereal, dreamy quality. The photographers experimented with printing their photos on canvasses which had a texture all their own (some even printed their photos on monochromatic canvasses in shades of orange and green). Meanwhile, the painters moved away from painting camera-true life moments and captured their fleeting impressions with their palettes; they were particularly sensitive to the nuances of light.
Having just seen the exhibit, I was acutely aware of the changing reflections in a cenote my husband and I visited on the Yucatan at a resort called Tres Rios. Cenotes are pools that collect in sinkholes at the entrances to caves. Rainwater collects, but particulate matter does not remain suspended, thus, the pools are clear,cool and quite inviting!!! I loved watching the clouds, and the tropical ferns change in the ripples of water.
For those of you interested in the pictorialism movement you might try the following video link .
Enjoy!
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