The ‘inter-war’ period in European history refers to the 20 years between the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII. The era was marred with economic depression as nations struggled to recover both financially and socially from the toll of the conflict, as well as increasingly divisive politics across the continent. The Treaty of Versailles, one of the most controversial armistice treaties in history, had determined loss of territories, reduction of military forces and reparation payments from Germany and other Central Powers. This contradictory period saw art similarly polarized, as some artists responded to the illogical horrors of war with movements like Surrealism and Dada, while others ‘returned to order’ by painting in more classical styles. It is in this context that light abstraction returned to popularity. The style became a central preoccupation of artists and filmmakers like Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy and Francis Bruguière, who began using innovative methods of projecting, reflecting and refracting rays of light to create non-traditional works of photographic art. Now, Getty Museum presents Abstracted Light: Experimental Photography, which explores how light abstraction was one of the defining aesthetic concerns of avant-garde photography from the 1920s to the 1950s.
The exhibition focuses on two key areas of the art form – photograms and light painting. These two methods highlight the way in which creatives were pushing the boundaries of photography and establishing a new lens through which to view the medium. Photograms are one of the earliest forms of photography. They are made by placing objects directly onto chemically treated paper and exposing them to light to capture their silhouettes. Before its revival in the 1920s, early practitioners of the method included artists such as Anna Atkins and Henry Fox Talbot. Atkins was a botanical artists, collector and photographer who is widely understood to be the first person to illustrate a book with photographic images. Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843) merged art and science to Her 19th century cyanotypes used light exposure and a simple chemical process to create detailed blueprints of botanical specimens. Similarly, Henry Fox Talbot was inspired by his use of the camera obscura, but after being more delighted with the image the device projected than his own drawing, sought a way to imprint the picture and make it permanent. He found that a sheet of fine writing paper coated with salt and silver nitrate would darken in the sun, and by placing plants on top, a white outline of the objects would appear. The technique was revived as inter-war artists sought novel ways to create abstract images. László Moholy-Nagy became on the the photogram’s most fierce advocates, writing that it enables photographers to “sketch with light” the same way that a painter uses a paintbrush. Man Ray also adopted the technique, developing the method and naming it the ‘Rayograph’ after himself. We see this in action in Abstracted Light, as his Untitled: Corkscrew and Lampshade (1927) displays the pale outline of the household objects, creating a surreal pattern on the black background.
Light painting, a method which can be seen throughout the exhibition, involves moving a light source in front of the camera during long exposures. This creates glowing patterns and shapes on the negative that appear as ethereal calligraphy. A photographer can achieve a similar effect by moving the camera itself during the exposure while aiming it towards a static light source such as streetlamps or neon signs, capturing a sort of illuminated graffiti. Man Ray’s 1935 series Space Writing saw him become the first known art photographer to use the technique. The series saw him create a self-portrait with a timed exposure and while the shutter was open, he used a penlight to inscribe his name in cursive script in the space between him and the camera. He then overwrote the letters with more cryptic marks, meaning they were not deciphered until decades later. The style, pioneered by Ray, remained popular throughout the 20th century and continues to influence modern photographers, with artists such as Eric Staller, Reuben Wu and Hannah Huhtamo creating haunting, ethereal images. The art on display at the exhibition reminds us of this long legacy and highlights the way that the method changed our understanding of what photography could be. By questioning the very nature of the art form, these artists opened the doors for new voices to continue to push boundaries.
Abstracted Light: Experimental Photography is at Getty Centre until 24 November: getty.edu
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
Untitled (Abstraction), about 1950. Hy Hirsh (American, 1911-1961) Chromogenic print Image: 20 × 25.1 cm (7 7/8 × 9 7/8 in.) Getty Museum. Gift of Deborah Bell.
Car Light Study #7, 1939Nathan Lerner (American, 1913-1997) Gelatin silver print Image: 32.4 × 26.7 cm (12 ¾ × 10 1/2 in.) Getty Museum. Purchased in part with funds provided by an anonymous donor in memory of James N. Wood © Estate of Nathan Lerner 2012.38
Pure Energy and Neurotic Man, 1940-41 Barbara Morgan (American, 1900-1992) Gelatin silver print. Image: 38.1 × 49.8 cm (15 × 19 5/8 in.) Getty Museum. Reproduced courtesy of the Barbara and Willard Morgan Photographs and Papers, UCLA 95.XM.75.1.
