I know about many darkroom processing techniques and how much was or was not done back in the day, but, although I could see clearly that he'd manipulated those images, I wasn't specifically aware of Mortensen's work and his attempts to gain general acceptance of his heavy post processing.
I find it quite fascinating and I thank you, Darren, for digging those references up. Or maybe I shouldn't thank you because now I'm going to be digging further tomorrow. ;-) And I'll have to get the book now too. On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 8:05 PM, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: > It also occurs to me that Bruce (and everybody else in this "room") > already knew about Mortensen's techniques and history and his > "Photoshopping" comment was not tongue-in-cheek at all. Oh well, > wouldn't be the first time the joke was on me. > :) > > That forthcoming book "American Grotesque" has an entire glossary of > "Mortensen's Methods" (only the introductory page of that section is > in the preview PDF I linked to, above). > According to the Guardian article linked from Bob's first link, the > new book should be released sometime this month. It is only available > for "preorder" on Amazon here in the U.S. > > On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 6:50 PM, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: >> A bit more on some of Mortensen's "photoshopping" techniques: >> "Figure 1.16 In his essay "Fallacies of ‘Pure Photography',” Mortensen >> challenged the hypothesis of Group f/64 by stating, "Purists and >> puritans alike have been marked by a crusading devotion to >> self-defined fundamentals, by a tendency to sweeping condemnation of >> all who over-step the boundaries they have set up, and by grim >> disapproval of the more pleasing and graceful things in life.”8 >> Mortensen etched the original negative to remove unwanted detail. He >> then elongated the image during the enlargement process and made the >> projection through a texture screen. For details about his printmaking >> methods, including the Abrasion-Tone Process he used to make this >> image, see William Mortensen, Print Finishing, San Francisco: Camera >> Craft Publishing, 1938. © William Mortensen. Machiavelli, from the >> book Monsters and Madonnas, 1936. 10¼ × 8¼ inches. Abrasion-tone >> gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Robert Hirsch Collection." >> Source: http://www.photovideoedu.com/Learn/Print/12590.aspx >> >> On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 6:44 PM, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: >>> http://hyperallergic.com/58916/dreaming-in-argentina-when-juan-peron-was-president/ >>> >>> Quote from the above link: "Before discussing Stern’s work, I want to >>> say something about William Mortensen (1897–1965), who was both a >>> photographer and the author of numerous manuals and books, including >>> Madonnas and Monsters (1936). Born nearly a decade before Sommer and >>> Laughlin, and working at the same time as Edward Steichen (1879 –1973) >>> and Alfred Steiglitz (1864–1946), Mortensen championed photographic >>> manipulation over straight photography, and paid for it dearly. >>> >>> Ansel Adams (1902–1984) dubbed Mortensen “the Anti-Christ,” which >>> tells you how much he was reviled and feared by “straight” >>> photographers. In the ensuing argument between Mortensen and the >>> purists, straight photography won out. In his seminal study, The >>> History of Photography from 1839 to the Present (New York: Museum of >>> Modern Art, 1937), Beaumont Newhall left Mortensen out altogether. Now >>> that Photoshop has become ubiquitous, perhaps Mortensen’s fortune will >>> change." >>> >>> Also of interest (wow!) >>> http://feralhouse.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/American-Grotesque-Excerpt.pdf >>> >>> On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 6:41 PM, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> Bruce is being tongue-in-cheek with his "Photoshopping" comment, but >>>> there was lots of photo manipulation being done in film days (and >>>> before) both at the negative and in the printing (as with the work of >>>> one of my photographic hero's Jerry Uelsmann.) I wouldn't be surprised >>>> if >>>> >>>> http://120pearls.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/film-photo-manipulation-b-p-before-photoshop/ >>>> >>>> http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/09/28/before-photoshop-how-photographers-have-been-manipulating-images-for-years >>>> >>>> See also: >>>> Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop (Metropolitan >>>> Museum of Art) by Mia Fineman >>>> http://www.amazon.com/Faking-Manipulated-Photography-Photoshop-Metropolitan/dp/0300185014/ >>>> In fact, it appears (from Google Books) that Ms. Fineman's book >>>> includes some discussion involving the work of William Mortensen. A >>>> footnote in her bibliography makes reference to a June 1934 "Camera >>>> Craft 41" article written by William Mortensen entitled "Fallacies of >>>> 'Pure Photography'". That might be interesting to track down. >>>> >>>> >>>> On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 6:15 PM, Bruce Walker <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>>> Very cool, but I suspect Photoshopping. >>>>> >>>>> :) >>>>> >>>>> Thanks for that article, Bob. My kind of stuff. >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 4:56 PM, Bob W-PDML <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> Some good stuff here: >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/oct/06/american-nightmares-the-photography-of-william-mortensen >>>>>> >>>>>> B >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>>>> follow the directions. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> -bmw >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>>> follow the directions. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs >>>> look like photographs. >>>> ~ Alfred Stieglitz >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs >>> look like photographs. >>> ~ Alfred Stieglitz >> >> >> >> -- >> Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs >> look like photographs. >> ~ Alfred Stieglitz > > > > -- > Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs > look like photographs. > ~ Alfred Stieglitz > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- -bmw -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
