Art History 21
1. Discuss the impact of photography on the nineteenth-century landscape. How did it affect painting? What were the political implications of the medium? Use examples to support your essay.
Landscape painting was a particularly effective vehicle for allegory because it allowed artists to make fictional subjects appear normal, conditioned, acceptable, or destined. Art was not just about the landscape, it actually allowed the spirit of the painter to come alive in their work. The allegory was for moral and spiritual concerns. The introduction to photography therefore impacted 19th century landscape in a manner that was found to be unacceptable because personal intertwinement of expression and emotion could not come from photography. Photography represented the optical fact. Previously, the emphasis was on fictional visuals. Realism becomes the dominant style in the 19th century and the optical truth expands as ideas and exploration of science and technology develop. The most important optical device was the camera. The impact of the camera, invented shortly before the mid-19th century, was revolutionary. The camera was a revolution of visible objects and, among other uses, became a very useful tool for recording. People became intrigued with the ease of capturing the moment and the accuracy these images could provide. The middle class especially welcomed the modern form of art because it cost less. Photography was a significant accomplishment that changed the public’s perceptions of ‘reality’. The impact and issues in perceptions of reality and realism were addressed in the movement that followed Romanticism, Realism. Artists aimed for middle class patrons because they held a strong and powerful position, but also because the lower costs would expand artist’s audiences and potential buyers. This would reduce sales in paintings which had some artists furious. The response to photography stemmed back to traditional art. Many
Landscape painting was a particularly effective vehicle for allegory because it allowed artists to make fictional subjects appear normal, conditioned, acceptable, or destined. Art was not just about the landscape, it actually allowed the spirit of the painter to come alive in their work. The allegory was for moral and spiritual concerns. The introduction to photography therefore impacted 19th century landscape in a manner that was found to be unacceptable because personal intertwinement of expression and emotion could not come from photography. Photography represented the optical fact. Previously, the emphasis was on fictional visuals. Realism becomes the dominant style in the 19th century and the optical truth expands as ideas and exploration of science and technology develop. The most important optical device was the camera. The impact of the camera, invented shortly before the mid-19th century, was revolutionary. The camera was a revolution of visible objects and, among other uses, became a very useful tool for recording. People became intrigued with the ease of capturing the moment and the accuracy these images could provide. The middle class especially welcomed the modern form of art because it cost less. Photography was a significant accomplishment that changed the public’s perceptions of ‘reality’. The impact and issues in perceptions of reality and realism were addressed in the movement that followed Romanticism, Realism. Artists aimed for middle class patrons because they held a strong and powerful position, but also because the lower costs would expand artist’s audiences and potential buyers. This would reduce sales in paintings which had some artists furious. The response to photography stemmed back to traditional art. Many