Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography
£21.80£28.50 (-24%)
The idea of ‘art photography’ is nearly as old as photography itself, but it wasn’t until the 1850s that photographers began to claim fine-‐art status for their work. Debates about photography and its role raged internationally, but it was in England, through the work of Oscar Rejlander, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll and Clementina Hawarden in particular, that the new art found its fullest expression.
These four artists – a Swedish émigré with a mysterious past, a middle-‐aged Ceylonese expatriate, an Oxford academic and writer of fantasy literature, and a Scottish countess – formed the most unlikely of schools. Both Carroll and Cameron studied under Rejlander briefly, and maintained a lasting association based around intersecting approaches to portraiture and narrative. Influenced by historical painting and working in close association with the Pre-‐ Raphaelite brotherhood, they formed a bridge between the art of the past and the art of the future, standing as true giants in Victorian photography.
Separately, Cameron, Carroll, Hawarden and Rejlander produced some of the most spectacular images in history. Divided into three main sections, this book brings together many of these works for the first time, drawing heavily from the National Portrait Gallery Collection. The selection will be enriched with key works from other collections from around the globe. Of special interest is an exploration of historical and contemporary painters and their role in the young fine-‐art-‐photography movement.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (1 Mar. 2018), National Portrait Gallery |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1855147068 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1855147065 |
| Dimensions | 23.62 x 2.54 x 26.16 cm |
by Ambienthighway
After reading this book I gained significant insight into portrait pictures and the art photograph. With the limited resources available and the one shot from a static camera the photographs caught are stunning. All of the photos taken are staged and not caught live in action so to speak, so some deep thought has gone into each photograph taken.
After reading this book and looking at the photographs and creations and explanation of each there is much more behind each photo. To me I can see the line leading right back then to present day in the classic portrait and props and how this has evolved. If i must make a criticism its a shame they did not used more rough thicker cut of paper as opposed to usual standard type print page, i suppose this might have been a cost consideration.A very interesting read and very interesting subject. I read the book cover to cover in about 5 hours. Well worth the money in insight you will gain, invaluable.
by Crislet
Some of Julia Margaret Cameron reproductions are so dark and poor that they actually kill the photos. I am able to compare them with those of the NPG book Julia Margaret Cameron Biography: A Critical Biography and they are finer and much more detailed there.
You had some wonderful photographers in the old days and I don’t regret getting this book at all, but lack of care in reproducing some of these wonders cannot be justified.
by Amazon Customer
A perfect gift for a photographer !
by Iain L.
Saw the exhibition. Love the book
by MR J M STODDARD
Avery interesting book with excellent portrait photos by Victorian photographers.