Down on the Farm - Art Gallery of Alberta

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition ProgramArt History: Photography as Artcontinued: The Picturesque in PhotographyLike all genre in the visual arts, photography can be divided amongst various modes ofexpression. Almost from the beginnings of its invention a philosophical debateconcerning the use of photography came to the fore amongst the mediums earliestpractitioners. On the one hand, certain photographers believed that photography shouldaspire to the artistic and the ’exercise of individual genius’. Those who believed in thismode of photographic expression took their inspiration from the Picturesque LandscapeTradition in painting. In the exhibition <strong>Down</strong> on the Farm, this pictorial approach is bestexemplified in the work of David Bowering.In the early days of photography, many photographers believed that if their work was tobe taken seriously as a new art form the medium had to compete with painting and, to doso, adopt the methodology of the painting styles of the period. In painting the conceps ofthe sublime and the picturesque were dominant and so photographers began tomanipulate images, to retouch negatives, and even to paint over the prints to create apictorial effect. Many also used soft focus, special filters, gel and later combination printing -using several negatives to make one picture - to create allegorical compositions. Suchmanipulations, which were major tools in the genre of Pictorial Photography or Pictorialism,were meant to allow photographers to achieve ‘personal artistic expression’ and ‘atmosphere’ intheir works.David BoweringAttic Room, 2009/2011Digital photographCollection of the artistAFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB. Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479youraga.ca