Photography And Its Relationship With Paris

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 1

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PARIS

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Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 2

Photography underwent extraordinary transformations in the 20

century like a majority

of the visual presentations but the uniqueness of this art draws from the fact that the perception of

the medium changed as well. Photography had appealed to multiple artists by the early 1900 before

it was officially incorporated into artistic practices in the 1920’s. France in particular, has had a

strong relationship with photography, producing the most prestigious of photographers and

strategically qualifying Paris as the center of the entire photographic business in the 19

century.

To draw a visual picture of this relationship, this paper looks at photography and its effects in

Paris, together with renowned photographers during the mid-19

century.

Industrialization of the Photography Medium

Artists that had a vision in the decade following the 1850’s in Paris embraced a mature

medium besides tackling ambitious subjects and producing richly toned prints for wealthy patrons

and specific groups. Further industrialization of the medium took place in the mid-1860 when

photographers gradually shifted from mixing colors according to personal tastes. Instead, they

bought commercially-prepared albumen and other supplies that could enhance their photography

(Daniel, 2004). The marketplace similarly exerted pressure on the photographers to produce

cheaper prints because the Paris audience was less discerning. The renowned photographers had a

daunting task of marketing to a middle-class audience which had no interest in esthetic factors like

exquisite printing, optimal lighting and careful composition. This is the kind of audience that paid

more attention to a familiar site or a famous person, a reason why artists gave preference to

architectural photography, images of famous people and the Paris cultural diversity.

Transformation of Quantity into Virtue

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 3

The mid-19

century saw photographers such as A. Disderi rising to fame. Using

multiple lenses and a movable chassis, this is one of the artists that propelled photography

towards virtue. Using this relatively new technology, the artist could produce up to eight

exposures using a single-glass plate negative (Daniel, 2004). This gave him an opportunity to

print the whole plate at once and cut it into small eighths which he pasted on mounts and

distributed to friends in a size similar to that of visitation cards.

Development of the Stereograph

This is another development that rocked Paris in the Mid-19

century alongside the carte-

de-visite. It involved the creation of two identical views using two lenses in a single camera, which

were strategically positioned side-by-side. Ideally, the lenses were glued to one mount before they

were viewed in a stereoscope with the aim of stimulating binocular vision (Daniel, 2004). The two

images produced could then combine at the middle to produce an illusion of three-dimensional

photography. These were highly diminutive prints that measured approximately three square

inches, with the ability to assume any virtual reality because the stereoscope blocked out any

references to scale and space apart from those existing in the image itself (Daniel, 2004). The

viewing experience was appealing and besides, photographers were enthralled by the ability to

remarkably combine two novel optical systems-stereoscopy and photography. In Paris, however,

stereographs were sold cheaply at the time and they mostly featured a distant view of Brittany,

Paris, the Pyrenees and other distant lands with the aim of taking an armchair traveler across the

globe on a magic carpet.

The Expression of Biblical and Literary Ideals

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 4

Technical advances in photography continued to the 1870’s but it is only a handful of artists

that prospered especially in France. Most of them were not esthetically and temperamentally suited

to the dynamic market in Paris. Notably, artists like Edouard Baldus resorted to the production of

cheaper, hastier and smaller forms of his earlier work, ending up in bankruptcy. Other figures such

as Countess da Castiglione were rather eccentric and they used the medium in a novel way while

collaborating with other photographers to come up with unique pieces of art. The relationship

between photography and Paris was soon carried to other countries such as England and the United

States. In the U.S George Barnard and Alexander Gardner became the first Civil War

photographers to use the medium in documenting history and moving souls (Daniel, 2004). In

England, Julia Margaret used the Paris ideas to express biblical and literary ideals, a trend that

spread to other cities and photography cultivated a ubiquitous position in society.

French Realism

This is perhaps the most popular of all the social and artistic movements that took place in

France during the 19

century. This movement that started in 1840 aimed at sparking a more

objective view of life. The proponents therefore advocated for direct observation, which contrasted

sharply with romanticism. French Realism was propelled by people like Gustave Courbet who was

the voice of the entire movement. Together with other artists, Gustave believed that the artists were

a representation of the middle-class that was silently dying to see an egalitarian and democratic

society (Finocchio, 2004). The movement was also supported by writers who sought a factual

description of life and society through art.

Impressionism

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 5

This popular artistic movement was born in Paris, pioneered by artists such as Edgar Degas,

Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet. These were painters that sought the freedom to explore color,

light and emotions in their artistic expressions. They used the popularity of photography as a

foundational pillar of their movement in seeking the freedom to paint everyday scenes of famous

people in the capital (Marder, 2016). Edgar Degas was keen to promote both forms of art because

he used photographs when making his dancer paintings and it is such movements that propelled

photography to a higher level in Paris.

Renowned Artists

1. Charles Marville

Starting as a book illustrator, Charles Marville officially joined photography in 1850 and

he is regarded as one of the few artists that effectively captured the romantic nature of Paris. When

it comes to architecture and historical development, this is the artist that gave a detailed account

of medieval buildings and historic monuments. He became the official photographer of the City of

Paris in 1862. According to Lebowitz (2016), Marville produced water-slicked images of

cobblestone streets, besides capturing cracked facades that prompted the marking of Parisian

buildings and streets that were later destroyed to commission new constructions.

2. Brassai

This is a 20

century photographer who moved to Paris in 1924, only to befriend the city’s

cultural intelligence and the works of popular artists like Henry Miller. Brassai is sometimes

recognized as the eye of Paris because he went deep into the city’s underbelly to capture the lives

of the people living on the edge (Lebowitz, 2016). He may not be one of the pioneers of realism

but he systematically employed an objective and realistic description of life using unflinching

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 6

directness. Choosing to take most of his photographs at night, the artist immortalized commercial

sex workers, petty criminals and artists that constituted the seamy district of Montparnasse.

3. Jacques Henri

His photographic work started in early childhood as he captured some of the simple games

that he used to play with friends and family members. The artist injected an aspect of his

personality and version into the action-based/instant photography technique that was used at the

time (Lebowitz, 2016). This was a naturally gifted photographer, although he considered himself

more of a painter before he was influenced by Paris developments such as the Realism movement.

Most of his images are defined by humorous informality as he captures fashionable women

engaging in leisure activities such as car-racing and kite-flying (Lebowitz, 2016). Unlike Brassai,

this artist showcases the freedoms that were enjoyed by the working class at the time.

4. Eugene Atget

Besides being an artist, this is the kind of photographer that created images and content

meant to serve as reference resources for upcoming artists in Paris. Most of his images are shot in

working-class neighborhoods, reflecting the shops, architecture and people of ancient Paris. The

artist immersed himself into the Parisian daily life to come up with authentic artistic pieces which

promoted the Pictorialism trend, which was the most fashionable style in his time (Lebowitz,

2016). In his later works, however, the artist resorted to uncanny and rather disorienting trends

such as Surrealism.

In summary, the history of photography in Paris is deep and long-lived, capturing the

Parisian way of life, renowned artists and the general evolution of the art. Popular movements such

as realism prompted artists to adopt a realistic description of life and this was made possible by

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 7

dedicated artists such as Brassai, who went to the city’s underbelly to bring to light the devastating

state of life among the lower classes in society.

References

Photography and Its Relationship with Paris 8

Daniel, M., 2004. The Industrialization of French Photography after 1860. (Online). Available at

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/infp/hd_infp.htm. Accessed 05 August 2017.

Finocchio, R., 2004. 19

-Century French Realism. (Online). Available at

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm. Accessed 05 August 2017.

Lebowitz, R., 2016. 10 Photographers who Captured the Romance of Paris, From Brassai to

Cartier-Bresson. (Online). Available at https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-10-

photographers-who-captured-the-romance-of-paris. Accessed 05 August 2017.

Marder, L., 2016. Impressionism and Photography. (Online). Available at

https://www.thoughtco.com/impressionism-and-photography-2578247. Accessed 05

August 2017.

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