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Photo History Museum FUJIFILM SQUARE
Pictorialism - Prelude to Modern Photography
Modern platinum print
Platinum print
Platinum print
The Photo History Museum at FUJIFILM SQUARE is pleased to announce a photo exhibition that focuses on one of the most important movements in the historical development of modern photography. The exhibition, Pictorialism – Prelude to Modern Photography, runs from February 3 – April 30, 2015.
Pictorialism was a movement that took the world of photography by storm in the latter years of the 19th century. Until the emergence of Pictorialism, photographs were seen merely as a record of reality, and were not deemed worthy of recognition as a form of artistic expression. In response to this, a movement sprang up that sought to project an emotional intent into the viewer's realm of imagination, and have photography acknowledged as a true art form. This movement had its origins in Europe, but was quickly embraced in the US where New York-based photographer Alfred Stieglitz and other progressive thinkers formed the like-minded Photo-Secessionist movement.
This photo exhibition features the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz and other leading proponents of the Pictorialism movement, and aims at enabling visitors to gain a real sense of the beauty that the photographers of the Pictorialism movement were striving to attain, and their contribution to the birth of modern photography.
Profiles of leading featured photographers
Alfred Stieglitz (USA, 1864-1946)
Stieglitz was born into a family of wealthy German-Jewish immigrants. In 1881, he moved to Germany, and the following year began studying mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, where he first became interested in photography. In 1890, Stieglitz returned to New York and formed the Photo-Secessionist movement with Edward Steichen. This movement sought to dispel the common-held belief that photographs were merely depictions of an actual person, place or event, and worked toward raising the social standing of photography by imbuing their photographic works with an emotional aspect and having photography accepted as a form of artistic expression. Stieglitz was a frequent contributor to artistic debates, and was later given the epithet of ‘father of modern photography.’
Emile Constant Puyo (France, 1857-1933)
Puyo took up photography in 1885, and in 1994 joined the Photo Club of Paris, which sought to have photography accepted as an artistic medium. He worked closely with the French Pictorialist photographer Robert Demachy, and helped found the first Paris photo salon. In an effort to achieve greater artistic effects, Puyo and Demachy experimented with gum bichromate and oil pigment processes, and developed special soft-focus lenses that achieved impressionistic effects for portraits, landscapes and other forms of photography.
Baron Adolf de Meyer (Germany, UK, USA, 1868-1946)
Born in Germany, Baron de Meyer took up photography in the UK in 1896. He established his reputation after being invited to hold an exhibition at Alfred Steiglitz’ 291 Gallery in New York. He went on to work for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines, and become known for his glamorous style of fashion photography and elegant portraits of early Hollywood stars.
| Name of exhibition | Pictorialism – Prelude to Modern Photography |
|---|---|
| Dates and Time | February 3 – April 30, 2015 |
| Dates and times | 10:00 - 19:00 open everyday throughout duration of the exhibition (last entry: 18:50) |
| Venue | Photo History Museum, FUJIFILM SQUARE |
| Number of exhibits | approx. 20 |
| Featured photographers | Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Edward Weston, Heinrich Kühn, Baron Adolf de Meyer, Gertrude Kasebier, Emile Constant Puyo, Robert Demachy |
| Admission | Entry free |
| Organized by | FUJIFILM Corporation |
| Cooperation | Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts |
| Planning by | Crevis Inc. |
