Photogram: Difference between revisions
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A '''photogram''' is a [[Photography|photographic]] image made without a [[camera]] by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as [[photographic paper]] and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.<ref name=Langford>{{Cite book| last = Langford| first = Michael| title = Basic Photography| place = Oxford| publisher = Focal Press| year = 1999| edition = 7th| isbn = 0-240-51592-7}}</ref> |
A '''photogram''' is a [[Photography|photographic]] image made without a [[camera]] by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as [[photographic paper]] and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.<ref name=Langford>{{Cite book| last = Langford| first = Michael| title = Basic Photography| place = Oxford| publisher = Focal Press| year = 1999| edition = 7th| isbn = 0-240-51592-7}}</ref> |
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The technique is sometimes called '''cameraless photography'''. It was used by [[Man Ray]] in his exploration of [[#Man Ray's rayographs|rayographs]]. Other artists who have experimented with the technique include [[László Moholy-Nagy]], [[Christian Schad]] (who called them "Schadographs"), [[Imogen Cunningham]] and [[Pablo Picasso]].<ref>According to Alexandra Matzner in ''Christian Schad 1895-1982 Retrospectief'' issued by the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (2009), {{ISBN|978-3-87909-974-0}}, p. 216, Schad was the first ''artist'' to use the photogram technique, developed by William Henry Fox Talbot. The photogram was applied by Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy and Chargesheimer after its introduction by Christian Schad, according to the author. However, this is not substantiated through further reference by Matzner. The Dutch catalogue was also issued in German by the Leopold Museum in Vienna (2008).</ref> |
The technique is sometimes called '''cameraless photography'''. It was used by [[Man Ray]] in his exploration of [[#Man Ray's rayographs|rayographs]]. Other artists who have experimented with the technique include [[László Moholy-Nagy]], [[Christian Schad]] (who called them "Schadographs"), [[Imogen Cunningham]] and [[Pablo Picasso]].<ref>According to Alexandra Matzner in ''Christian Schad 1895-1982 Retrospectief'' issued by the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (2009), {{ISBN|978-3-87909-974-0}}, p. 216, Schad was the first ''artist'' to use the photogram technique, developed by William Henry Fox Talbot. The photogram was applied by Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy and Chargesheimer after its introduction by Christian Schad, according to the author. However, this is not substantiated through further reference by Matzner. The Dutch catalogue was also issued in German by the Leopold Museum in Vienna (2008).</ref> |
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Variations of the technique have also been used for scientific purposes, in [[shadowgraph]] studies of flow in transparent media and in high-speed [[Schlieren photography]], and in the medical [[X-ray|X-Ray]]. |
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[[File:Anna Atkins grass cyanotype.jpg|thumb|upright|One of [[Anna Atkins]]'s [[cyanotype]] photograms of Festuca grasses]] |
[[File:Anna Atkins grass cyanotype.jpg|thumb|upright|One of [[Anna Atkins]]'s [[cyanotype]] photograms of Festuca grasses]] |
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From 1843, [[Anna Atkins]] produced a book titled ''British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions'' in installments; it was the first book to be illustrated with photographs. The images were all photograms of botanical specimens, which she made using [[Sir John Herschel]]'s [[cyanotype]] process, which yields blue images.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph005 |title=Anna Atkins |publisher=vam.ac.uk |accessdate=21 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031211235711/http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph005 |archive-date=11 December 2003 |dead-url=no }}</ref> This very rare book can be seen in the [[National Media Museum]] in [[Bradford]], [[England]]. |
From 1843, [[Anna Atkins]] produced a book titled ''British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions'' in installments; it was the first book to be illustrated with photographs. The images were all photograms of botanical specimens, which she made using [[Sir John Herschel]]'s [[cyanotype]] process, which yields blue images.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph005 |title=Anna Atkins |publisher=vam.ac.uk |accessdate=21 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031211235711/http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph005 |archive-date=11 December 2003 |dead-url=no }}</ref> This very rare book can be seen in the [[National Media Museum]] in [[Bradford]], [[England]]. |
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In Modernism, and especially in Dada and Constructivism and in the formalist dissections of the Bauhaus, the photogram enabled experiments in abstraction by Christian Schad as early as 1918, Man Ray in 1921, and Moholy-Nagy in 1922, through dematerialisation and distortion, merging and interpenetration of forms, and flattening of perspective. |
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===Christian Schad's 'schadographs'=== |
===Christian Schad's 'schadographs'=== |
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===Man Ray's rayographs=== |
===Man Ray's rayographs=== |
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Photograms were used in the 20th century by a number of photographers, particularly [[Man Ray]], who called them "rayographs". His style capitalised on the stark and unexpected effects of negative imaging, unusual juxtapositions of identifiable objects (such as spoons and pearl necklaces), variations in the exposure time given to different objects within a single image, and moving objects as the sensitive materials were being exposed |
Photograms were used in the 20th century by a number of photographers, particularly [[Man Ray]], who called them "rayographs". His style capitalised on the stark and unexpected effects of negative imaging, unusual juxtapositions of identifiable objects (such as spoons and pearl necklaces), variations in the exposure time given to different objects within a single image, and moving objects as the sensitive materials were being exposed. |
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In the 1930s artists including Theodore Roszak, Georg Zemin, Piet Zwart, and Willy Zielke made photograms; Bronislaw Schlabs, Julien Coulommier, Andrzej Pawlowski, Beksinki and Kurt Wendlandt in the 1940s and 1950s; Lina Kolarova, Rene Mächler, and Andreas Mulas in the 1970s; Tony Ceballos, Kare Magnole, Andreas Müller-Pohle, and Floris M. Neusüss have utilised the process in the 1980s.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Warren, Lynne | author2=Warren, Lynn | title=Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3-Volume Set | publication-date=2005 | publisher=Taylor and Francis | isbn=978-0-203-94338-0 }}</ref> Contemporary artists who are widely known for using photograms are [[Adam Fuss]], [[Susan Derges]] and [[Christian Marclay]] and younger artists continue to use the technique.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/en/exhibitions/abstract-100-years-abstract-photography-1917-2017|title=Abstract! 100 Years of Abstract Photography, 1917–2017|date=2017-04-27|website=Suomen valokuvataiteen museo|language=en|access-date=2019-07-03}}</ref> |
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==Procedure== |
==Procedure== |
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Revision as of 12:57, 3 July 2019
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2008) |
A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.[1]
The technique is sometimes called cameraless photography. It was used by Man Ray in his exploration of rayographs. Other artists who have experimented with the technique include László Moholy-Nagy, Christian Schad (who called them "Schadographs"), Imogen Cunningham and Pablo Picasso.[2]
Variations of the technique have also been used for scientific purposes, in shadowgraph studies of flow in transparent media and in high-speed Schlieren photography, and in the medical X-Ray.
History
Some of the first photographic images made were photograms. William Henry Fox Talbot called these photogenic drawings, which he made by placing leaves and pieces of material onto sensitized paper, then left them outdoors on a sunny day to expose. This produced a dark background with a white silhouette of the object used.[3]
From 1843, Anna Atkins produced a book titled British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in installments; it was the first book to be illustrated with photographs. The images were all photograms of botanical specimens, which she made using Sir John Herschel's cyanotype process, which yields blue images.[4] This very rare book can be seen in the National Media Museum in Bradford, England.
In Modernism, and especially in Dada and Constructivism and in the formalist dissections of the Bauhaus, the photogram enabled experiments in abstraction by Christian Schad as early as 1918, Man Ray in 1921, and Moholy-Nagy in 1922, through dematerialisation and distortion, merging and interpenetration of forms, and flattening of perspective.
Christian Schad's 'schadographs'
In 1918 Christian Schad's experiments with the photogram were inspired by Cubism, creating photograms from random arrangements of discarded objects he had collected such as torn tickets, receipts and rags. Some argue that he was the first to make this an art form, preceding Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy by at least a year or two,[5] and were published in 1920 in the magazine Dadaphone by Tristan Tzara, who dubbed them 'Schadographs'.
Man Ray's rayographs
Photograms were used in the 20th century by a number of photographers, particularly Man Ray, who called them "rayographs". His style capitalised on the stark and unexpected effects of negative imaging, unusual juxtapositions of identifiable objects (such as spoons and pearl necklaces), variations in the exposure time given to different objects within a single image, and moving objects as the sensitive materials were being exposed.
In the 1930s artists including Theodore Roszak, Georg Zemin, Piet Zwart, and Willy Zielke made photograms; Bronislaw Schlabs, Julien Coulommier, Andrzej Pawlowski, Beksinki and Kurt Wendlandt in the 1940s and 1950s; Lina Kolarova, Rene Mächler, and Andreas Mulas in the 1970s; Tony Ceballos, Kare Magnole, Andreas Müller-Pohle, and Floris M. Neusüss have utilised the process in the 1980s.[6] Contemporary artists who are widely known for using photograms are Adam Fuss, Susan Derges and Christian Marclay and younger artists continue to use the technique.[7]
Procedure
In a darkroom, or a darkened room, objects are arranged on top a piece of photographic material, or on or on printing-out paper or other daylight-printing material. When the operator is satisfied with the arrangement, the photographic material is exposed to light, usually by switching on an enlarger or other artificial light source, which may also be a broad source of light in order to cast umbra, penumbra and antumbra as shown in the accompanying diagram.
Variations include using multiple lightsources at once, exposing with multiple flashes, moving the light source during exposure, projecting shadows from a low-angle light, and using successive exposures while moving, removing or adding shadows. The print is then processed, washed, and dried.[8]
List of notable photographers using photograms
- Markus Amm
- Anna Atkins
- Walead Beshty
- Christopher Bucklow
- Kate Cordsen
- Olive Cotton
- Susan Derges
- Michael Flomen
- Adam Fuss
- Heinz Hajek-Halke
- Raoul Hausmann
- John Herschel
- Edmund Kesting
- Len Lye
- László Moholy-Nagy
- Alice Lex-Nerlinger
- Anne Noble
- Pablo Picasso
- Man Ray
- Alexander Rodchenko
- Theodore Roszak
- Christian Schad
- Greg Stimac
- August Strindberg
- Jean-Pierre Sudre
- Kunié Sugiura
- Henry Fox Talbot
- Mikhail Tarkhanov
- Elsa Thiemann
- Luigi Veronesi
- Kurt Wendlandt
- Nancy Wilson-Pajic
- Willie Ann Wright
- Sarah Anne Bright
- Keith Carter
See also
- Luminogram: photogram using light only with no objects
- Schlieren photography: light is focused with a lens or mirror and a knife edge is placed at the focal point to create graduated shadows of flow and waves in otherwise transparent media like air, water, or glass
- Shadowgraph: like Schlieren photography, but without the knife-edge, reveals non-uniformities in transparent media
- Chemigram: camera-less technique using photographic (and other) chemistry with light
- Neues Sehen: László Moholy-Nagy's 'New Vision' photography movement
- Cliche-verre: photographic printing technique using glass plates and light-sensitive paper
- Drawn-on-film animation: cliche-verre technique in which movie film emulsion is scratched and drawn frame-by-frame
References
- ^ Langford, Michael (1999). Basic Photography (7th ed.). Oxford: Focal Press. ISBN 0-240-51592-7.
- ^ According to Alexandra Matzner in Christian Schad 1895-1982 Retrospectief issued by the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (2009), ISBN 978-3-87909-974-0, p. 216, Schad was the first artist to use the photogram technique, developed by William Henry Fox Talbot. The photogram was applied by Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy and Chargesheimer after its introduction by Christian Schad, according to the author. However, this is not substantiated through further reference by Matzner. The Dutch catalogue was also issued in German by the Leopold Museum in Vienna (2008).
- ^ Talbot, William Henry Fox (1844). The Pencil of Nature. London: Special Collections Department, Library, University of Glasgow. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Anna Atkins". vam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 11 December 2003. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Rosenblum, Naomi (1984), A world history of photography (1st ed.), Abbeville Press, ISBN 978-0-89659-438-8
- ^ Warren, Lynne; Warren, Lynn (2005), Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3-Volume Set, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-0-203-94338-0
- ^ "Abstract! 100 Years of Abstract Photography, 1917–2017". Suomen valokuvataiteen museo. 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Bargh, Peter. "Making a photogram - traditional darkroom ideas". ePhotozine.com. Magazine Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
