In 1839 the technique called dagherrotipia came into the world and led to the birth of photography. Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre gave his name to this technique. This type of photographic process used silver-plated copper plates covered with silver iodide. Also, in the early years, photography initially related to still life and later to portraits. Photographs had their inspiration from painting. And even in the early years when photography emerged, its connection to other arts was clear.
Photography continued to develop over the years, and photography had a major year in 1860. Instant photography developed and the relationship between photography and painting emerged, even more. So the movement within photography appeared, we began to talk about the hybridisation of photography and painting.
Photography and painting
From the moment it developed and spread, photography has had a relationship with many art forms. Photography has taken its cue from art but has also brought many improvements. As a result, the optical distortions obtained through the wide-angle lens led Picasso to study surfaces and obtain different visions of reality. So the Impressionists also used photography to capture reality through instantaneous impressions, so that painting could “capture the moment”.
Known as the visual revolution, it originated with the birth of Dadaism. Also photography has to do with the reproduction of reality, manipulating and cutting out, transforming it. The works of the Dadaists were called photocollages, enriched over the years with the use of pictorial techniques. In the same years, abstractionism developed. Kandinsky painted the first abstract watercolour in 1910. The artist began to express himself through emotions. At the end of the 20th century, a school of art and architecture called Bauhaus was founded. One course of study at the school was photography. Students had to know how to take pictures using a perfect technique. The school brought the presence of architectural and object photography to the present day.
Other painting styles
To clarify photography and Impressionism have a strong connection, starting with the use of light in creating images. The Impressionists revolutionised the use of colour and used photography to study the composition of scenes. The artistic evolution continues through another style, expressionism, which emphasises the artist’s state of mind. So expressionism is an art form that has evolved to the present day.
Photography as a document
Travellers and journalists use photography to report on less accessible events and places. We are talking about the first reports. The first travel photographers carried very large equipment to create images. And the use of photography during travel, but also during wars, led to numerous documentation of events. And photography began to be seen as a tool for getting to know the world.
Photography in cinema
1896 brought an important turning point in cinema. In cinemas for the first time was the film by Lumière brothers. Therefore in the film, a train at high speed is directed in front of the spectators. For the first time, moving images began to be part of cinema. So photography began to be part of the cinematographic images. These moving images influenced the study of impressionist painters who tried to bring movement to their canvases. However, photography not only influenced cinema but also led to new perceptions of other arts. With the passing of the years and technological and digital development, photography in film has continued its evolution.
Giulia Antonelli
