The Minimalist Photographer

Pictorialism

Toward the end of the 19th century, with the rise of a movement called pictorialism, photography became interesting beyond the technical. This movement introduced the photographer as more than a mere technician because he (and at the time it was usually a he) was expected to manipulate the image to get a more artistic result.

Some of the methods used were soft focus, alternative hues such as browns or blues, and visible brush strokes, all of which allowed the photographer to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. It is hard to imagine now just how much of a breakthrough this represented.

Pictorialism was at its peak from around 1880 until the beginning of the First World War. It was certainly still being promoted into the ...