Pictorialist Photography: Paula by Alfred Stieglitz
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Pictorialist Photography: Paula by Alfred Stieglitz
Pictorialist photographs enable photographers to use the accomplishments of painting and, in particular, realistic paintings to realize the potential of photography as an art. Pictorialist photographs are defined by the absence of unprofessional mistakes such as distracting details and imbalance. Also, such photographs lack directness with the use of pictorial lighting (Jacobus & Martin, 2018). Pictorial photography is known for its otherworldly aesthetics, which emphasizes composition on color and photographer’s skills. According to Jacobus and Martin (2014), a pictorialist photograph is usually soft in focus, cautiously balanced symmetrically, and centrally weighted. Pictorialist photography allowed painters to evoke emotions that bordered on the sentimental artistically. Alfred Stieglitz is one of the champions of the pictorialist movement, as evidenced by his 1889 work named Paula. In Paula, Stieglitz prioritized beauty, tonality, and composition over an accurate visual record.
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/
The aesthetic, coupled with technical strategies of pictorialism, gives weight to the adherence of truth to nature. The photograph by Stieglitz signifies the essence of the interlocution of elements in nature. The photograph does not evoke strong emotions; rather, Stieglitz chooses his work to be defined by artistic simplicity. By placing the subject of the creation at the center while undertaking some writing activities allows the photograph to be centrally weighted. A viewer’s attention is majorly on the writing woman. Stieglitz was concerned with the aesthetic value of this work as opposed to a record of the scene. Stieglitz captures the light as it streaks through the blind on the window, thus creating a beautiful strip pattern on Paula (Jacobus & Martin, 2018). The strip injects an impression of beauty, which is one of the qualities of pictorialist photography. The profile of the woman is robust against the dark background. The vertical lines of the window frames augment Paula’s profile, thus adding to its beauty.
Stieglitz impressionistically renders the scene in which the overall effect is more important than the details. The photo of Paula is sharp and crisp as well as modern in its subject matter. A photographic touch is evident in the whole photograph, including the hangings on the wall, which are symmetrically arranged. Stieglitz managed to maintain a large part of the photograph in sharp focus because the collective details tell a story to the viewer. The artifacts surrounding Paula have a narrative that is revealed by the dramatic lighting (Jacobus & Martin, 2018). However, it is upon an individual viewer to decide what the story is depending on their understanding. Stieglitz uses alternative printing to make an artistry statement. The top and bottom of the photo are painted with a deep black color, which complements the pattern of shadow made by the blind. The choice of the photograph’s colors and especially the dark shadows, gives it tonality (“Pictorialism Movement Overview”). The use of lighting selectively underscores the essential aspects of the subject matter in the photograph, thus aiding in developing the meaning.
Overall, the most prominent aspects that make Paula by Stieglitz pictorialist photographs are its beauty, tonality, and composition. The three qualities in the photograph collectively work to augment the photographer’s skills. Stieglitz combines color, light, and background to deliver a narrative that is subject to an individual’s perception. With this, Stieglitz injects reality into this piece of art.
References
Jacobus, L., & Martin, F. (2018). Humanities through the Arts (10th ed., pp. 281-283). McGraw-Hill Education.
Pictorialism Movement Overview. The Art Story. Retrieved 13 February 2020, from www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/.