Alan Trachtenberg, author and former professor of literature and American studies at Yale, described American modernism in his book Critics of Culture: Literature and Society in the Early 20th Century, as “A new spirit appeared in American life... It was a spirit of change, of dissent--in some minds, the spirit even of revolution. Predominantly it was an upsurge of hopefulness. New directions seemed possible not only in politics and the arts, but also in the quality of life as a whole. Institutions and established ways were subjected to a critical scrutiny that had been rare in the previous generation... “
This “new spirit” of change affected the life and legacy of photographer Alfred Stieglitz, perhaps more than any artist of his time. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1864, Stieglitz attended one of the best private schools in New York, going on to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering in his home country of Germany. During his time in Europe, Stieglitz found his love and interest for photography, and won a few photo competitions- After his return to New York, he was determined to establish photography as a legitimate form of artistic expression, just as a painting or sculpture. At the time, in the late 1890s, the main style of photography was pictorialist, which meant the post-processing and editing of the photo itself was just as important a process as the capture of the photo. Pictorialist photographers sought to imitate the style of paintings at the time, which meant the use of soft focus, filters, and exotic printing techniques. In this picture of his daughter, Kitty, Stieglitz uses multiple soft filters to manipulate the image to focus on her.
However, after he dedicated many years to supporting the merits of pictorialism, Stieglitz began to shift his definition of photography in 1917. As the pace of modern life increased rapidly, and social norms were being challenged and redefined, Stieglitz began to question the heavy manipulation of photographs. Stieglitz then began to lean toward a focus on the photo’s composition, tone, and subject. He realized that a photograph of an object can be the expression of what the photographer feels towards that object, instead of the simply the object’s own definition. This changed the way his photos were structured- From photos manipulated to describe a complete, perfect object to photos that demonstrated his own point of view, a snapshot of his own interpretation.
This picture, titled "Hands", is a clear representation of his shift from pictorialist photography to more "straight photography", which rejected use of special lenses or filters, but instead focused solely on the use of the camera to capture reality. Combined with high contrasts and sharper focus, this type of photography began to stress the realities of everyday life, harsh or beautiful. Similar to the newscasts shown in class, skyscrapers and bustling people began to be common subjects of photography, because they were the reality of life in that time. Also, the decline of pictorialism led to the rise of contemporary photographers such as Ansel Adams, who further promoted straight photography. Most photographers and historians point to Alfred Stieglitz as one of the most prominent figures in American photography; Clearly, Alfred was responsible for a revolution in what should be defined in a photo, but how much of his revolution was caused simply by the modernist movement happening at the same time?
Works Cited
"Alfred Stieglitz | International Photography Hall of Fame." International Photography Hall of
Fame. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.
"Alfred Stieglitz | MoMA." The Museum of Modern Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.
"Alfred Stieglitz Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. N.p., n.d. Web.
13 Sept. 2016.
Hostetler, Lisa. “Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) and American Photography.” In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I think it is interesting that the pictorialist style attempted to imitate the style of the paintings at that time; I would have expected photographers to take advantage of how cameras facilitated the creation of realistic images. It reminds me of how it has become popular to use "filters" to edit picture now.
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ReplyDeleteYour post on Alfred Stieglitz was excellent and I liked how you mentioned the techniques of pictorialist photography and how a photograph could be manipulated in multiple ways. Such manipulation of perspective can really make one question about the photos of the past and how much reality they may portray. Stieglitz's revolution of photography is influenced by modernism, but, in my opinion, could also be a product of new technology and a product of how technology is being integrated into life and used to portray art in different forms. Addressing your question on the reason of the influence on Stieglitz's photographs , in my opinion, he could have seen the need to portray the daily struggles in cities and to portray the reality that many Americans faced in the city in order to debunk myths about the great life in the city and how everyone is fulfilling the American Dream. As you mentioned, the way Stieglitz began to portray the daily lives of Americans could indeed be questioning the American Dream and the high hopes individuals carry in cities and the result of what actually happens to those dreams. Overall, your post was definitely interesting and thought provoking.
Fantastic post! It's interesting to see the influence that the modern city and modern life played on so many different forms of art in addition to literary modernism. Thank you for adding to this!
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if Stieglitz, like other Modernist artists, is attempting to capture a particular "voice" of experience similar to Stein or Dos Pasos through his use of lenses, lighting, and perspective. Perhaps because of Steiglitz's contributions we can understand methods other than words and paintings through which Modernists attempted to portray the human experience.
ReplyDeleteStieglitz's shift from pictorialism to a style with sharper contrast seems like it aims to reveal more truths about the modern world and shows a more industrialized phase of modern life that was in America at that time.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I find it really interesting how he decided to change his style to focus more on the reality of the times. I think that presenting the pictures as they really are more accurately reflects the situation, since with many filters and changes the original meaning might be distorted
ReplyDeleteExcellent work! I enjoyed the connection between the perspective of the photographs and the ideal of perspective as represented in the 42nd Parallel. It is interesting how Stieglitz experiments with different perspectives ultimately coming to the conclusion that they are the artist's imposition upon the subject. This could possibly be related to how Dos Passos views his own work. -MR
ReplyDeleteExcellent work! I enjoyed the connection between the perspective of the photographs and the ideal of perspective as represented in the 42nd Parallel. It is interesting how Stieglitz experiments with different perspectives ultimately coming to the conclusion that they are the artist's imposition upon the subject. This could possibly be related to how Dos Passos views his own work. -MR
ReplyDeleteThis post touched on so many interesting aspects of Stieglitz's background and experiences that influenced his work. His unique point of view being an artists who studied mechanical engineering rather than art, his traveling between Europe and New York like so many other modernist writers and artists and his breaking from classical aesthetics.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting. Just as modernist writers and painters tried to separate themselves established art forms, its intriguing to see the same happen to Stieglitz in the relatively new world of photography. Even though Stieglitz was heavily involved in following pictorialism, he still managed to find value in lesser known art forms of photography that would convey his purpose of his photos better.
ReplyDeleteAgain we see this confrontation between the real and the fake. Stieglitz's evolution from photography imitating paintings and works of classical artists, to an art form focused on realism being expressed through photo seems to be exactly the transition his peers were also trying to champion. Stieglitz's story really highlights what was obviously a very confusing time for early 20th century America. A time where individuals were questioning what it meant to be a participant of their changing landscape and if there were any "real," solid foundations for which one's identity could take root. It is an idea I can sympathize with as the 21st century world navigates through this new chapter of social connectedness and how we all respond to a fear of being buried in its avalanche of change.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I thought the quote in the beginning by Trachtenberg could definitely be analyzed a bit further. The part that sticks out to me is the idea of an "upsurge of hopefulness". I feel like this could definitely be contemplated, and possibly criticized when considering works we have read so far and in the context of Stieglitz's shifting view of photography.
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