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The photographic news
- Bandzählung
- 12.1868
- Erscheinungsdatum
- 1868
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- Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
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- Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
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- Bandzählung
- No. 500, April 3, 1868
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Zeitschrift
The photographic news
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Band
Band 12.1868
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- Titelblatt Titelblatt I
- Kapitel Preface III
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- Register The Index To Volume XII 619
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Band 12.1868
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[APRIL 3, 1868. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 162 PICTORIAL EFFECT IN PHOTOGRAPHY ; Being Lessons in Composition and Ciranoscuna tor Photographers. BY H. P. ROBINSON. Chapter X. "Connection is a principle always present to the painter’s mind, if he deserve that name ; and by the guidance of which he considers all sets of objects, whatever may be their character or boundaries, from the most exten sive prospect to the most confined wood scene ; neither referring everything to the narrow limits of his canvas, nor despising what will not suit it, unless, indeed, the limits of his mind be equally narrow and contracted ; for when I speak of a painter I mean an artist, not a mechanic.—Sir Uvedate Price. What is TruthV said jestingPilate; And would notstay for an Answer.” —Bacon. BBTORE placing figures in a landscape, the artist should first make up his mind whether the composition requires the introduction of any object to add to its completeness. If it does, do not let anything induce him to take the view with out the figure, because he will be doing something that he can see could be dohe better with the assistance of a little more trouble; above all, he should avoid incongruity, and never, for the sake of pleasing a friend by putting him in the picture, introduce an clement of discord, such as was illustrated in the Sixth Chapter. If perfect pictorial success is to be expected, no more figures than are absolutely necessary should be introduced. One figure more would be a useless blot, and injure the effect. Care must be taken that the figures compose well in relation to themselves as well as to the landscape. In too many photographs figures arc to be seen straggling over the fore ground, perfect strangers to each other, to all appearance, united by no purpose whatever, except that of having their portraits taken at a great disadvantage. It, of course, may happen that in some scenes in nature figures may be found scattered over a scene in the way set forth in many photo graphs, and a picture of them would be quite true, and would, therefore, satisfy the desires of the matter-of-fact truth-at-any-price school, who scoff at “ art-knowledge but it is the purpose of the artist to represent agreeable truth, or at least truths that do not irritate the eye, as false quantities jar upon the ear in verse. I am quite aware, and go as far as any in agreeing, that the real enjoyment of art is in proportion to its entire truth ; but the agreeable sensa tions produced by pictorial representations are dependent in a very great degree on the spirit and knowledge with which that truth is rendered. Form only will not give this, neither will light and shade alone; but the union of both, although colour may be absent (but which is necessary to perfect beauty), suggests that truth to the mind which is one of the great functions of art. The best quality of photography is this perfect truth, this absolute rendering of light and shade and form ; and a knowledge that he is debarred the charms of colour should cause the photographer to be more careful to make the most of the qualities which his art possesses, and which are beyond the reach of the painter and the sculptor. It is not open to the photographer to produce his effects by departing from the truth of nature, as has been the practice with the painter for ages; but he may use all legitimate means of presenting the story he has to tell in the most agreeable manner, and it is his imperative duty to avoid the mean, the base, and the ugly; and to aim to elevate his sub ject, to avoid awkward forms, and to correct theunpicturesque. Having digressed thus far in search of “what is truth,” we will return from the bottom of the well to our figures. The figures and the landscape should never be quite equal in interest or pictorial value. The one should be subordinate to the other. The pic ture should consist of figures with a landscape background (if they are represented in the open air), or of a landscape in which figures are introduced merely for the sake of impressing a point or adding life to the more important scene. It is true, indeed, that pictures are sometimes produced, with good effect, the converse of this, and the figures vie with the scene in interest, but the subjects must be fine, or the success will be hazardous. It is difficult to give general directions for doing that which must, after all, have a special consideration in each case; it would therefore be next to impossible for mo to give more definite directions for the introduction of figures in landscapes than has already been stated in this and former chapters ; but I may sum up the subject by saying that the figure must be of the subject, as well as in it, in order that unity may be preserved ; that it must be used with a purpose, to give life to a scene, or to supply an important spot of light or dark ; to give balance, or to bring other parts into sub ordination by being either blacker or whiter than those parts ; and that what is to be avoided is the indiscriminate dragging in of figures into scenes in which they have no business, and where they do nothing but mischief. Perhaps the best lesson on this subject is to be obtained from the observation of photographs in which figures have been suc cessfully introduced—if with the assistance of a competent teacher, all the better. For this purpose nothing could he better than a few of Blanchard’s stereoscopic views, especially the series taken recently in the Isle of Wight, in which the most subtle art has “ grasped the skirts of happy chance,” and has converted topographical views into gems of most rare quality. Every one of these little pictures that I have seen is made, pictorially speaking, by the figures introduced. Not figures—-mark the difference I—that he has found hap hazard and photographed instantaneously, although they are chiefly so-called instantaneous views, but figures that he has met with on the spot, certainly, but has arranged with great judgment and taste according to their avocation, or in accordance with the requirements of the scene. Sailors, coastguards, children, or the more prim-looking visitors, all look what they are, and are doing that which it is their nature to do; and all this not only without the least sacrifice of artistic truth according to law, but with very great gain from an observation of the laws of light and shade and composition as generally received. By way of tail-piece to this chapter and to this branch of my subject—for, with the exception of a chapter on the sky, and incidentally when I come to the consideration of chiar oscuro, I have done with landscape composition—I give a little vignette showing how simple a subject will serve to make a picture. How often do photographers travel over miles of country without finding anything they consider worthy of their attention, although, perhaps, exquisite subjects may exist at every turn of the road ! The art of photography has arrived at a sufficient state of perfection, in its own way, to prevent us having any fear in acknow ledging that it is not possessed of unlimited power; that the sublime cannot be reached by it; and that its power is greatest when it attempts the simplest things. But if it is not the mountain that it can represent best, what art can equal it in its representation of the molehill ? And for this reason I conclude my chapters on landscape with an illustra tion of the class of simple subjects for the representation of which the art is pre-eminent. The illustration will show how a basket, a hamper, a stone, a log of wood, a barrel- all, or any of these—may be made valuable when a foreground presents nothing of especial interest in itself, and how, by J their presence, they at once give tenderness to the distance ' and space to the picture.
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