Early XX century Pictorian photography

It can’t be all about sluts, cartoons and debauchery! There should be some art, and what better late Monday night treat that some pretty forgotten obscure art. And by obscure, this time I mean literally out of focus. Here are some of my picks as examples from the Pictorialism, the movement dominating the Late 19th century to the 1930’s, when Modernism came into vogue and the photographers sharpened the focus.

However, the artsy photographers from over a hundred years ago found their amploa for more than just reflectors of the reality, manipulating the texture and the colors of the photos, taking them out of focus and putting them through proto-filters.

Edward Steichen, born 1879 in Luxembourg was huge in the European movement and can easily be called its Godfather. However, in 1923 he switched to fashion photography and defined the mode of the “celebrity photos” in America working for Conde Nast publications.

Here are some of his early works:

“Duse”

“The Pond Moonlight”

And here is a portrait of Henry Matisse:

Another classic from this period is “Montmartre” of Émile Joachim Constant Puyo, of course with this name from France.

One of the key figures in the States was the New York suburbs kid Alfred Stieglitz, who introduced many early avant-garde European artists to the New World, including but not limited to Matisse, Rodin, Picasso, Picabia, Brancusi, Severini. Here is how the Winter Fifth Avenue looked in 1893. (for full-size click on the photos)

He’s known also for “Steerage” from 1907, which is concidered as the first genuine reportage photo. It shows immigrants on the steerage deck of a ship, where they stand cheek by jawl and have to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile in Japan, Ogawa Kazumasa pioneered the photomechanical printing and photography in the Meiji era. I’m wondering if there are still somewhere artists that hand-colour their photographs… hmm

“Woman Sewing”