Photography in the Romantic Era

Setting the Stage

There was a continuation of technological advancements as the world entered the romantic era. These helped set the stage for a change in art and the addition of photography. There was continued exploration of the world at this point, and the Americas were becoming increasingly colonized. There was the outbreak of the Civil War during this time period, which also aided in the Romantic Era’s theme of war.

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was born in 1822 in France, and lived until 1895. He contributed largely to science with many discoveries such as milk pasteurizing and an increase in the understanding of how diseases spread. Of all his discoveries, the most significant is the new study of microorganisms. This required a new view on reality. It would not be long before there would be a desire to capture an image of what was seen under a lens. I believe that scientific advancements such as this helped to spark photography. These scientific breakthroughs increase people’s views on realism and humanism. With an eye for more realistic pieces, photography has the foundation to flourish. 

 

Early Photography

Which the foundation set with the expansion of realism, the art of photography began to take off. Much like paintings were previously used, photography can serve the purpose of not only entertaining, but also informing. Photos were used to strengthen journalism, especially in times of war. Self-portraits and family pictures also became common as the idea of self-image became socially accepted. 

 

Mathew Brady with his Family

Mathew Brady

Mathew Brady was born in America in 1822, and lived full heartedly in the country until his death in 1896. He was called “the Presidents Cameraman” and contributed greatly to American photography. One of his large focuses was the Civil War. He did take photos of war for journalism purposes but was highly acclaimed because he did so with an artistic perspective. Although his pieces were used to tell history, they also evoked emotion, and were very anesthetically pleasing. He captured the grief of the Civil War and was able to have it radiate through his work. He made photography into art. He almost died in the Battle of Bull Run attempting to photograph the war and preserve that part of the history for the country to carry on. 

Alexander Gardner

Alexander Gardner

Alexander Gardner was born in 1821 in Scotland. He later traveled to America and was best known for his photography centered around the Civil War. Gardner was often over looked and many of his pieces were given credit to Mathew Brady although that was later proven false. Despite having his work misnamed, he was an amazing photographer. Gardner worked under Brady and took over when Brady became ill. This was an amazing opportunity which allowed him a chance to capture history in a way he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. 

Antietam- Confederate Dead By A Fence On The Hagerstown Road 

by Alexander Gardner

The photo, Antietam- Confederate Dead By A Fence On The Hagerstown Road by Alexander Gardner is documented in the Library of Congress to this day as a key piece of American History. This photo shows the devastation of the Civil War. It shows dead Confederate soldiers on a road that leads to Sharpsburg from the north. It also evokes emotion through the heartlessness of their actions. The bodies are not collected; they are simply left to lie there, which is a great disrespect. This could also show the disrespect and wrong that was being done to the nation through the act of a Civil War. The wrong in general was wrong because the country turned on itself when it needed to ban together. This photo shows the betrayal and the lack of respect for the country through the disrespect to the people that died. It also shows a fence that divides the photo and fades into the distance. This could show the divide of the nation, and the vast difference between the sides. 

Gertrude Kasebier

Self portrait of Gertrude Kasebier

Gertrude Kasebier was an American photographer who lived from 1852 to 1934. She began as a painter and later moved into photography. Her talent was quickly seen by Stieglitz and he sold many of her photos for a high price. She was part of a miserable marriage and at the time, divorce was not allowed. She was restricted in her photography because of her husband.

  It can be seen in her work after her husband’s death such as Yoked and Muzzled--Marriage 1915 that she was able to express herself much more. This photo shows defiance and a rebellion against oppression. A large amount of her photos her portraits to begin with. She did a large amount of work with the Native Americans. There a raw and natural beauty about these photos and the way they capture Native American heritage. Photos such as Native American Indian had so much emotion behind them because the personality and struggle of the people could be clearly seen. 

 

Native American Indian by Gertrude Kasebier

Yoked and Muzzled--Marriage 1915 by Gertrude Kasebier

The Manger

The Manger by Gertrude Kasebier

The Manger was taken by Gertrude Kasebier in 1899. This photo was sold for $100 which is equivalent to $2000 dollars today, which was the highest amount a photo had ever been sold for at the time. Both characters are dressed in white with a light shining through the window from above. The photo evokes innocence as well as purity. There is a beauty that thrives from the photo. Kasebier was a mother and so it is not surprising that choose to encompass the beauty of motherhood in such a way. She understands the love associated with a new child and she gets the viewer to feel that. I personally think that the connection the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the Manger is no mistake. This photo was taken towards the end of the Civil War and people needed to have hope. This photo links to Christianity but also to the feeling of starting again, and of salvation. There is symmetry and clean lines formed from the boards behind her. This shows order and adds to the feeling of being complete.

Romantic Art

Francisco de Goya

Self Portrait of Francisco de Goya

Goya was a Spanish artist born in 1746, and lived until 1828. He lived across the world from there American photographers, yet his artwork emanated the same themes. Goya was a painter. When he was younger he supported Napoleon and his conquering. However, when civilian hostages were slaughtered he became disgusted and went on to paint of the horrors that he lived around. His art world encompassed romantic style and was very realistic. Much like the photos above, it was meant to show emotion and make people far away feel the power and the pain of devastation and war even if they weren’t there. This allowed people to empathize, but also to understand what was happening and not be blind to it. 

The Third of May By Francisco de Goya

The painting The Third of May, was one of Gayo’s most famous pieces. It reminds a lot of Antietam- Confederate Dead By A Fence On The Hagerstown Road because the devastation and the depiction is very similar. It also forms the same emotions for people, and shows the pain behind war. This painting illustrates one of the civilian executions from fighting in the Puerto del Sol area of Madrid. Goya witnessed these shootings because he lived in an area where they took place. He was haunted by these events and so he painted them to show the horror to the world. To me this is much like the American photographers using photographs as a form of journalism. I think that he made these pieces to spread the truth. To me that mirrors the intent of the photojournalists in their efforts to document history. 

Works Cited

Congress, Library of. Antietam, Md. Confederate Dead By A Fence On The Hagerstown Road. 2015. 25 October 2015 <http://www.americanheritage.com/content/antietam-md-confederate-dead-fence-hagerstown-road>.

Gardner, Alexander. Library of Congress. 2015. 25 October 2015 <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cwpb.01097/>.

Morgan, Keya. Mathew B. Brady (1822-1896). 2004. 25 October 2015 <http://www.mathewbrady.com/about.htm>.

Nattel, Lillian. Women Photographers: Gertrude Kasebier Rebels. 7 December 2008. 25 October 2015 <https://liliannattel.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/women-photographers-gertrude-kasebier-rebels/>.

Stamberg, Susan. How Painting Advanced with Tin Paint Tubes. 18 December 2006. 25 October 2015 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6640315>.

Trust, Civil War. Alexander Gardner. 2014. 25 October 2015 <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/alexander-gardner.html>.

Weems, Erik. An Introduction to Goya . 1998. 25 October 2015 <http://www.eeweems.com/goya/introduction-to-goya.php>.

Arts and Sciences of the 1700’s

Scientific Innovation’s

Depiction of an Original Steam Engine

The 1700’s is vastly known for the Industrial revolution and the scientific advancements made during the time. The strives made during this time period not only changed the world, but changed the subject matter in art work, and even methods of its production. The most prominent innovation to come out of the Industrial revolution was the steam engine created by Watt. This forever changed transportation and lead to an increase in factories. 

Beethoven

The innovations were also accompanied with a vast increase of ideas. One idea was the creation of the classical style of music by Beethoven. He was one of the leading composers that lead to this new style of music. The rise in this style lead other composers to create pieces with a similar demeanor and sparked other genres such as Sonata, Opera, and many more. The rise in Opera was of the most significant accomplishments in music during this era.

Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was significant for the arts because it allowed for production of pieces more efficiently and in larger quantities. I also allowed for art to be transported and traded faster and spread the ideas more quickly. Improvements in production also allowed for specialists to focus on the parts of pieces they were best at which lead to more refined products.

Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Adam Smith is prominent in the Industrial revolution because of his advancements in economics.  He was a Scottish philosopher who created political economics and its foundation. He published many works including “A Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations”. He had great influence on the modern work in economics. This efforts helped factories to grow and prosper using his ideas and framework.

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was born on December 25^th 1642 and lived until 1727. His strives in science changed many people’s ideas about science and about conceptualizing reality. His greatest publications were his work in classical mechanics and his theory about  the three laws of motion. The theory he put in place on motion is still upheld and taught to this day and has led to far more innovations thereafter. The advancements of people such as this in scientific community helped to advance humanism and change societies interests away from being solely on the church. Because of this shift I suspect it helped cause the shift in music and theatre towards raw entertainment rather than strictly religious stories. The creation of theories such as Newton’s allows people to question the church, and to begin to think more freely.

Josiah Wedgewood

Josiah Wedgewood

Josiah Wedgewood was born in 1730, to a family that had been doing pottery for generations. Because of this, it seems fitting that he would end up going into the same field. At the time the only was that people made pottery was on a wheel which used a pedal. Wedgewood got injured and disabled after falling ill. This illness prevented him from using the pedal for pottery. Because of this setback, he created a factory to mass produce pottery.

Wedgewood Factory

The Wedgewood Factory was opened by Josiah when he was in his 20’s. He had a steam engine installed in the factory which allowed all the equipment to work and allowed for mass production. He pulled from the ideas of Adam Smith and created a division of labor in his factory. This proved to be very effective. Because of this, he had specialists working on the pottery stage by stage. These both improved the quality and the time spent making each product. By 1750 there were 130 factories in the area. Below are two examples of pieces created by Wedgewood. These pieces are a unique type of art. While they are pretty, they also symbolize the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the Arts. 

Wedgewood Vase

Wesdgewood Fine China

Art of 1700’s- Rococo Style

The Rococo style of art was popular in the 1700’s. As the century neared a close a shift occurred that shifted artwork towards a neoclassical style. Rococo style was centered around pastel colors, curving figures, and light subject matter. These pieces were held to a lot of critic but still hold beauty and significance to this day.

The Swing By Jean-Honoré Fragonard

                One of my favorite pieces from this time period is The Swing By Jean-Honoré Fragonard. The piece initially caught my eye because of the contrast in color and the great detail. This piece takes a high skill set. This piece symbolizes advancement as well as it was created by a woman. It is one of the great art pieces of the rococo style. The piece was among those aforementioned that received critique. Many philosophers of the enlightenment thought that the piece was not serious enough and did not showcase the nobility of men well enough. The piece was meant to be a man and his mistress on a swing and the scandalous intent in the photo does show through. The painter changed the product from the man’s intent making a more powerful message, which showcases the woman and leaves the man in the shadows.

                Another piece from the rococo style that was significant to me was Bath of Diana by Francois Boucher. It was created in 1742 perfectly fitting into the height of this

Bath of Diana by Francois Boucher

era. This painting is an oil painting on canvas. It is significant because many other paintings of Diana came later and this seemed to drastically surpass them. The clutter of objects that form the background are intentional and are meant blend in the background. Despite the busy edges, the focus remains on Diana. She is seen bathing with a pearls on and assistance from another. They appear lighter than the rest of the painting. This typical of rococo style as it highlights the subjects and pulls them forward. Diana is the goddess of the hunt and this piece was created as a panel for a hunting lodge. Despite being a women of the hunt, she is seen with perfect hair and beauty which is meant to make her come across as charming.

My perspective

One thing I found interesting about the Rococo art was how is contradicted the era of innovation. During the time of intensity and technological advancements, it seems that art would end up rigid and exact. The Industrial Revolution was going on during this time, and it was focused making things more efficient and faster. This reminds me of straight lines and simple art work that is mathematical. However, Rococo style is much lighter and contracts the time period in my opinion. There are many references to Greek and Roman mythology which also contradict the advancements in humanism and progression of science during the time. 

Works Cited

BBC. BBC Josiah Wedgewood. 2015. 12 October 2015 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wedgwood_josiah.shtml>.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopædia. Josiah Wedgwood English Craftsman. 2015. 14 October 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Josiah-Wedgwood>.

François Boucher. 2015. 12 October 2015 <http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_bou_di-ba.html>.

Mozart. Mozart - The Magic Flute - Overture (Levine/Met Orch) . Vienna, 3 June 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h018rMnA0pM

Technical History of the Piano. 2015. 14 October 2015 <http://www.cantos.org/Piano/History/technical.html>.

TheStar.com. Father of English Pottery. 30 September 2007. 14 October 2015 <http://www.clayexpression.com/wedgwood.english.pottery.htm>.