The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 29.1885
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1885
• Sprache: Englisch
• Signatur: F 135
• Vorlage: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Rechtehinweis: Public Domain Mark 1.0
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id1780948042-188500006
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18850000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18850000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Bemerkung: Seite I-II fehlen in der Vorlage. Paginierfehler: Seite 160 als Seite 144 gezählt.
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

680 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [OCTOBER 23, 1885. gone far and wide, and the representatives of the blessings of civilization, with the Bible in one hand and the revolver in the other, call on the Aborigines to stand and deliver. Wheresoever commercialism sets foot, the curse of gold seems to follow. As regards its effect upon art, it is like the old Greek story of Ata- lanta’s Race, but with a sinister climax. Milanion, the hunter (representing commercialism) enters for the race, and, carrying the fatal apples of gold, casts them one by one in the path of the fair fleet-footed, whom no competitor could hitherto outstrip. She yields, alas ! to the seductive spoils—to the greed of gold— and henceforward her fate is sealed. But commercialism, which seems now so triumphant, carries the seeds of destruction in its own bosom. The penalty of fast living must sooner or later be paid, by nations and systems, as by individuals. Dissolution must inevitably set in. Already there are signs of the beginning of the end. Already men’s thoughts and hopes are turned to that which shall succeed. “ The old order changeth, giving place to new.” Meanwhile, the only hope, alike for art as for humanity, lies in Socialism. Jotes. Our supplement this week, “ Hope Deferred,” by H. P. Robinson, exhibits in a marked degree the power, which is possessed by so very few, of influencing the expression as well as the pose of the model so as to make them in har mony with the idea which it is intended to represent. The chiaroscura is bold, natural, and effective, and the whole work bears evidence of that artistic treatment which we expect from its author. The failing which strikes ns as the one most frequently occurring in the present series of Pall Mall exhibits, is that of weakness in those parts of the picture adjacent to or cutting across the sky. The number of otherwise good pictures in which foliage or bare branches show weak and grey instead of bright against the sky, is remarkable. In the case of near objects—as leafage overhead—a great charm lies in the force with which in nature and in good transcripts therefrom they stand out against the sky. This charm in the cases we refer to is lost, and the loss is due to halation. Even in distant and middle distant objects the lack of vigour which naturally occurs is generally quite sufficient, without the addition of loss by halation. The evil of halation which is now so frequent was more guarded against in the collodion period. Wet collodion was much less subject to it than a thinly-coated gelatine plate, and with dry collodion, 11 backing" was recognised as a necessity, and generally resorted to. Backing ought certainly to be adopted with ordinary gelatine plates when used for subjects of the character referred to. Other remedies are, staining the film, coating the plate thickly, and the use of a non-transparent support, as paper. Perhaps the introduction of paper in place of glass as a support for the negative film may bring about the banish ment of halation. Whether or not paper is destined to supersede glass, the production of a large number of pic tures which, owing to freedom from halation, are endowed with the charm of truth in this respect, cannot fail to influ ence those who use glass to provide against the evil of hala tion by the employment of one or other of the means indi cated. As regards the show of apparatus at the Pa’l Mall Ex hibition, little need be said, as if there is anything which has not already been described in our columns, we have not been able to find it. There, are, however, several contrivances in which unimportant alterations have been made, and to which new names have been given. The Year-Book will be published, as usual, soon after the middle of December, and those who intend to send communications should do so before the end of this month, if possible. Short articles dealing rather with questions of every-day work are especially acceptable, and we shall appreciate them, whether sent by new contributors or old friends. When an illustration can serve to make the author’s mean ing clearer, a sketch should be sent. Already we have enough in hand to justify us in saying confidently that our next Year-Book will be in no way behind its precursors ; but, at the same time, we may hope —confidently hope—that for comprehensiveness and prac tical utility as a complete guide to every-day photographic practice, it will be the best yet issued. “ Ugliness made its initial inroad upon art when the first bust or portrait was constructed." So said Oscar Wilde in commenting upon Walter Crane’s discourse before the Fabian Society upon “Art and Commercial ism ” (see page 677). Oscar Wilde supported his views in a singularly lucid and eloquent speech. In the first days of art, nothing but the purely symbolic was aimed at. Egyptian art was in no sense of the nature of a portrait or an exact repre sentation, but it was simply symbolic. Next come the glories of the best period of Greek art, in which neither symbols and exact representations of actualities were re presented, but to produce the “literally and absolutely beautiful ” was the sole aim and end of the artist. Then came the portrait, the portrait bust—let us sup pose, as an example, a bust of Socrates. Here we may have a fine work of exact reproduction, but no longer true art. Ugliness is now introduced in art, and mixes with the “ literally and absolutely beautiful ” as seen by the eye of the artist. In the Renaissance—say the thirteenth and fourteenth century—the symbolic again appeared, and our efforts in the present day should aim at that which is simply beauti ful. Oscar Wilde’s notion of a portrait seems to be a crude and slavish representation, whether of a man or a thing; but the true artist is he who can see and reproduce beauty where least expected. The railway station, the squalid home of the unfortunate, the hoarding covered with the brazen and unblushing lies