My series of Photographs investigates the traditional and contemporary relationships between painting and photography. Through combining images of houses and appropriated landscapes, I am able to address the ideals of the photographic movement known as Pictorialism.
Artists in the early 20th century held the belief that photography as an art form needed to resemble works of master artists of their time. They used methods of soft focus, special filters, lens coatings, and different types of manipulations to create the illusion of paintings and etchings. Scholars, such as David Hockney, have discovered that while photographers were busy altering their images, traditional painters were using processes of camera obscura and the optical lens to help create accurate proportions and angles within their paintings. Using a large format negative style composite I have emulated David Hockney’s studies and the aesthetics of Pictorialism. Utilizing my research I am able to create the nostalgic power of a photograph and the romanticism of a traditional landscape. With illusion based conjectures, I manage to produce works that challenge the relationship between painting and photography allowing the viewer to question what medium holds the most importance in the piece. -MNReynolds |