Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Photography's impact on fine art, illustration and graphic design

The development of photography caused change in many aspects of artistic design. It can be considered fine art, used in books, newspapers, advertising or simply used as a historical record.

Once printers were able to reproduce the tonal qualities of a photograph changes were seen in every aspect of the printing process. The half-tone process allowed graphic designers new freedoms in their designs. Photographs, illustrations and typography could all be used together with a much more sophisticated look than before. They could show depth, tones and color like only painters could until that point. The Exposition poster shown on p. 157 of Meggs is a good example of the new era for graphic design. Demand for posters and signboards skyrocketed to match the economic times of the era.

Since the photograph became the “real” image, painters, sculptures and other artists were redirected. Painters had long been recognized as the true artists, but with the advent of photography they became more symbolic, impressionistic and fantasy oriented. Painters also learned new tricks from photographers such as painting subjects from different angles. It helped usher in a whole new era of painted art.

Photography could also be considered a fine art. The visual impact of a photograph is sometimes stronger than other art because people often assume there is no interpretation involved by the photographer. However, the subject matter, angle and tones in the final product are all determined by the photographer. They create a historical record of what the photographer or his/her benefactor decides is important. This portrait titled “Rag picker” by Eugene Atget from 1899-1900 is a good example of the photographer’s subjectivity. This man appears to have been left behind the prosperity promised during the Industrial Revolution. I’m not sure what a “rag picker” does, but it looks like back breaking, non-mechanized, dirty work. It is real, but this photographer made a decision to take this man’s portrait while he was holding the cart and when the light would create contrast and the shadows long. There is a lot in photography that is subjective.

The impact of photography has been and still is enormous - like Meggs says, it’s a new communication tool.


Eugene Atget, RagpickerView next full-sized photograph

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