Pictorialism in the Victorian Era; Essay Example

the creation of remarkable portraits that captured the essence of Victorian England. Her body of work consisted primarily of two types of photographs: portraits of prominent figures from the era, such as Lord Tennyson and Charles Darwin, and reenactments of literary and historical events. Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite School, Cameron's ultimate objective was to elevate photography to the level of fine art. With this in mind, she carefully crafted her posed photographs to mimic oil paintings from earlier epochs, paying close attention to intricate details like costumes and drapery. Drawing from a diverse range of sources, including the Old and New Testaments, Greek mythology, Renaissance painting, and classic works of English literature, Cameron masterfully intertwined various influences into her captivating imagery.

Cameron's female portraits depict women as timeless symbols of ideal beauty, conveying a wide range of emotions and experiences that were rarely expressed openly in the Victorian era. These portraits are considered her most powerful works. Cameron's women exude sorrow, resignation, composure, and love. With softly lit settings and flowing, unpinned hair, these women evoke sensuality, longing, sadness, and beauty.

The portraits of Cameron are filled with powerful emotions, found in the dark shadows and diffused backgrounds. Her technique involved soft-focus, giving her images a dream-like quality and utilizing dramatic and symbolic lighting. Cameron did not aim to capture sharp focus in her portraits, but instead sought to create photographs that showcased the subtle play of light and shadow, inspired by the high drama of Old Master paintings rather than a mere depiction of reality.

Cameron utilized the "wet" collodion negative process, which was a difficult and hazardous technique involving the use of flammable chemicals in low

light conditions. This method differed from previous techniques like the Daguerreotype and the Calotype by reducing the exposure time and producing a sharp negative that could be used for multiple prints. In Chapter 3, Madame Yevonde established her studio in 1914. Her style evolved from traditional portraits to highly stylized and slightly surreal images in the 1930s, where she famously employed The Vivex Colour Process to capture society ladies portraying characters from classical mythology. Yevonde recognized that the overly romanticized images of rigid Edwardian beauties were no longer in vogue, so she aimed to highlight the individuality of her subjects by experimenting with lighting systems, backgrounds, and papers.

She started incorporating different objects to create balanced compositions. The Vivex technique involved using three glass quarter-plates for the cyan, magenta, and yellow separations. Each plate was processed separately and then combined during printing to create a colored image. This advanced process provided ample opportunity for retouching to fix any minor imperfections. The ability to manipulate color inspired her to explore artistic possibilities.

She experimented with colored cellophanes on the lights and lens, and adjusted the balance of the three plates during exposure. She also changed the intensity of specific colors when printing. By intentionally underexposing her negatives, she achieved reflective surfaces in shadows and a radiant glow in skin tones, which was otherwise challenging to accomplish. Despite the limited depth of focus provided by her automatic repeating camera back, she cleverly utilized this feature. To separate and enhance colors, she incorporated diverse fabrics and reflective objects as captivating backgrounds that made her subjects appear sharply in focus.

After World War II started, Yevonde had to stop working with Vivex

for color photos. Instead of choosing another type of color process, she began experimenting with black and white and became interested in Solarisation.

Chapter 4 - Analysis of Photographs "Mountain Nymph"

Julia Margaret Cameron took this photograph in 1866. Rather than capturing a full-length portrait of a person in a forest setting, Cameron focused solely on the model's face and hair. The frame is completely filled with the model's head and shoulders. Cameron specifically chose a young face without any indication of the time period through clothing or background details. In many of Cameron's images of women, they have flowing and wild hair. She would often ask her models to let their hair down and wrap themselves in shawls and turbans to create a sense of eternal beauty and seduction. In this photo, the model's eyes, nose, and mouth are more in focus compared to her hair and cloak. Through contrast in focus and lighting, Cameron created an illusion that her model's head appears to protrude from her neck and shoulders.

Cameron employed various techniques, such as manipulating focus and creating the illusion of depth, in order to highlight specific aspects in her photos. One example is seen in "The Parting of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" taken by Julia Margaret Cameron in 1875. In this particular image, Cameron sheds light on the model's face while causing her shoulders to fade into the background. It showcases a departure from previously objectified depictions of women in photography. In this shot, Guinevere reflects upon her wrongdoing# as both she and Lancelot, who was once a radiant knight, are overshadowed by partial darkness. The costumes, poses, and lighting all contribute to

conveying the impending doom that hangs over the lovers.

Lancelot, shrouded in shadows, represents his often overlooked dark nature. Guinevere, on the other hand, is depicted in a partially profiled manner, portraying her as a victim of the situation. Their intertwined hands imply cooperation, but Guinevere, dressed in white and illuminated, remains submissive to Lancelot's will. This pose highlights society's expectation for women to be pawns. Cameron exposes Guinevere's inner struggle to uphold her vows and innocence in the male-dominated realm of Camelot.

Richard Hart-Davis portrayed as 'Ariel' in Madame Yevonde's 1935 photograph. Originally, Yevonde intended to incorporate Andromeda's chained wrists in the composition. However, upon witnessing the intensity of the image, she concluded that it better represented the weightlessness of a flying spirit. Yevonde's innovative use of lighting and shadow, along with her distinctive approach to capturing subjects in unconventional poses, results in a slightly unbalanced yet compelling portrait. Yevonde's usual technique involves capturing portraits in profile, focusing solely on the head and shoulders. Surprisingly, this choice intensifies the emotions portrayed rather than limiting them.

Yevonde’s portraits are not as timeless as Cameron’s, as her models are clearly styled according to cosmetic trends of the 1930s. However, she also made similar choices to Cameron in working with a shallow depth of field to emphasize her model’s features. For example, in the portrait "Lady Dorothy Evelyn Campbell as 'Niobe'" from 1935, Yevonde used glycerine and Vaseline to create a crying effect, possibly inspired by Man Ray’s "Glass Tears" published the previous year. Yevonde was not afraid of cropping the frame and highlighting specific features. In this portrait, her focus was on the model’s eyes and the narrow depth

of field allowed for every tear glistening on her cheek to be visible. The down-lighting technique further emphasized the model’s face. By concentrating on showing the model’s face rather than using a theatrical costume, Yevonde effectively and intensely portrayed the character of Niobe and her story.

The composition also makes this a powerful image on its own, without reference to the myth. Yevonde seemed to instinctively know which angles were best for maximum impact. By shooting her model looking upwards, she implies a sense of anguish and desperation; perhaps her character is seeking a higher form of solace from the divine.Had she simply shown her model face-on to camera, we would have merely seen a woman crying.

Chapter 5 - How Research Affected My Work Design

Like Julia Margaret Cameron and Madame Yevonde I chose to take portraits inspired by characters from mythology; but unlike Cameron and Yevonde, I used simple backgrounds. I recreated Cameron’s technique of concentrating mainly on the models’ faces and hair. I was inspired by Yevonde’s slightly surreal, theatrical images, so I chose to make mine very dramatic and highly stylised.I also wanted to emulate both Cameron’s and Yevonde’s use of changing depth of focus, by arranging my models with props or limbs nearer the camera.

Both Yevonde and I aimed to capture the individuality of our sitters in our portraits. I made sure to create unique hairstyles and apply distinct cosmetics to each image. By considering the personalities and backgrounds of my friends, I assigned them specific "roles" for their portraits#. However, unlike Cameron, my portraits showcase characteristics of the 21st century such as tattoos and piercings on my

models. Additionally, I requested that my models not display excessive emotion, a feature that can also be observed in Cameron's and Yevonde's photographs.

Equipment and Procedure: Initially, I utilized black and white film with my manual camera, accompanied by directional lighting. Unfortunately, these photos did not turn out as negatives. Thankfully, I had digital images as a backup. To ensure consistent picture quality in every shot taken with my digital camera, I employed the flash and utilized overhead general lighting. Inspired by Madame Yevonde's innovative use of Vivex and her experimentation with the development process to manipulate her final images, I opted to edit my photographs using contemporary imaging software. By converting them to black and white, I aimed to replicate the haunting portraits created by Cameron.

I followed Cameron's lead in emphasizing the contrast between light areas and dark shadows. However, I made a different choice by intensifying the clarity in my photographs. Unlike Cameron, who often portrayed innocent characters with models dressed in white and illuminated by light, I divided my portraits into groups during the editing process. Each set had its own distinct mood. The first set, called Light, focused on directional lighting to bring out the character of Aphrodite, Pandora, and Demeter. The second set, named Dark, utilized minimal lighting to evoke a sense of doom in the portrayals of Hera and Arachne. Lastly, the Soft and quiet set featured less formatting, with an emphasis on showcasing classical poses and the gentle nature of these characters.

- The artist created graphic and harsh images of Helen of Troy, Persephone, and Athena, using highly toned and contrasted images with 'pop art' qualities to convey their

dynamic personalities.
- The project focused on the genre of Pictorialism in Victorian era photography, particularly examining how female models were portrayed.
- Inspired by photographers like Cameron and Yevonde, the artist aimed to capture strong female characters and create beautiful, dramatic portraits.
- The project also served as a learning process for the artist, who experimented with modern software to alter photographs and discovered the importance of depth of focus, lighting, and shadows.
- Mythology was chosen as the subject, allowing for imaginative prop and costume sourcing and directing the photo shoot.

After gaining a deeper understanding of Pictorialism, I now acknowledge its potential to produce authentic works of art through photography. However, I maintain that due to the highly theatrical nature of most Pictorialist portraits, this genre will likely continue to be seen as cliched and less respected compared to other photographic styles.

References

1. N (1997) World History of Photography, Abbeville Press (3rd edn.) Busch, D (2007) Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies, Wiley Publishing Inc.
2. Bavister, S (2007) Lighting for Portrait Photography, Rotovision (Revised edn.) Grecco, M (2007) Lighting and The Dramatic Portrait;
3. The Art of Celebrity Editorial Photography, Amphoto Books Harmon, D and Jones, D (2006) The Digital Photography Handbook;
4. An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide, Quercus Wolf, S (1998) Julia Margaret Cameron's Women, Yale University Press Julia Margaret Cameron (Phaidon 55's) Phaidon Press Limited (2001) Yochelson, B and Erwin, K (1996) Pictorialism into Modernism, Rizzoli International