I find it fascinating that Ansel Adams and Weston (and the f/64 group) continued attacking Mortensen even after he was dead. (!) Sort of modifies my view of them. They were "purists" in most senses of the word, apparently. Good for them, but I don't think that gives them the right to dictateset themselves up as Judge, Jury, & Executioner of all other photographer's work and technique. Sounds to me like what Mortensen did was rather groundbreaking in its own right.
As Don Henley said: "Rebels been rebels since I don't know when." :) On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 8:28 PM, Bruce Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > 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. -- 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.
