The Separation Of Sight:the Camera Work And The Transmutation Of The Discourse Of Photography

As the world's highest quality photography magazine at the beginning of the 20 th century,Camera Work has been increasingly incorporated into the researcher's field of vision.From the perspective of the history of photography,Camera Work takes this European naturalistic photography,comics and subsequent pictorial photography,and straight photography as the vocal position of the Photo-Secession.Not only that,due to the active contribution of founder Alfred Stieglitz in the process of the modernization of modern art.Camera Work is also an important historical material for the transfer of modernist painting theory and ideas,and the transfer of the World Art Center from Paris,Europe,to New York,USA.From 1903 to 1917,the Camera Work magazine published a total of 50 issues,including493 photographs,more than 20 paintings,and more than 300 critical articles.It is through these materials that this article attempts to restore the discursive space that was involved in the discussion of photographic noumenon at that time,and then sort out the details that may be overlooked in the process of its transformation.After the research of the document,it was found that the transformation of the photography ontology over the past decade was not simply summarized as changing from one concept or style to another,that is,from pictorial photography to straight photography.This change is complicated and three-dimensional.Therefore,this article teases out the three parties' parallel perspectives and presents the three-dimensional and rich changes in this transformation.The first chapter covers macroscopically and overall the situation of the Camera Workmagazine.Introduced the background of the founding of Camera Work magazine and the major changes that took place during the 14 years of operation.Through published photographs and articles,the basic utterances for the discussion of photography ontologies constructed in the early 20 th century were outlined.Further,we examined the influence of the Camera Work magazine on the photography circle of the United States,Britain,France,and Germany in the early 20 th century.It further established the magazine's influence in this photography history and photography world.The second chapter discusses the most extensive type of cognition at present: the transformation from pictorial photography to direct photography.In the context of Camera Work,“painting photography” does not simply refer to photography that mimics the effects of sketch painting or impressionism,but refers to photography that is common to painting.The concept of direct photography had already appeared before Sadakichi Hartman's A Plea for Straight Photography article was published.Hartmann's definition of straight photography focuses on criticizing excessive modifications of negatives.The "straight photography" that appeared in the early days of Camera Work is closer to the concept of pure photography.The internal driving force that has been transformed is: artistic photography;the core of discourse is: If you make photography feel artistic.The third chapter is based on Camera Work magazine,combing discussion between photography as a media of art and painting.At the beginning of the 20 th century,photography was basically recognized as art.However,there has always been debate in the art world: as an art medium,photography or painting,which side has a higher status.With the rise of pictorial photography,photography and the blurring of the boundaries between photography and painting,some keen photographers and photographers began to realize that photography can and should become an independent medium.There is no difference between the two different art media(photography and painting).On the other hand,Stieglitz,the editor-in-chief of Camera Work,has long devoted himself to incorporating photography into a wider range of artistic activities.In fact,in the development of modern art,Camera Work magazine provides an open,unlimited platform.Different art concepts from photography and painting collide and discuss here.While providing such a vibrant soil for the development of modern art,photography and painting also interact with each other and together take part in the construction of modernist art.The fourth chapter discusses the possibility of photographic noumenon outside art in the Camera Work magazine.In Stieglitz's view,amateur photographers have more advantages than professional photographers in their personal freedom of creation and exploration ofphotography itself.According to Stieglitz and Clarence White's case,the photography community has also provided paths and channels for the participation of amateur photographers.From the initial photographic separatist-dominated photography as a medium for "personal expression" and in the last issue of Paul Strand,the emphasis on "real life" implies the subsequent development of documentary photography.Another founder of the Photo Separation Association,Edward J.Steichen,applied artistic photography to a more general commercial field and developed the fashion photography that was closely associated with business and consumption.