Pictorialism

   
                                                       In The Time of Trees: Poland
                                                                 Stuart Franklin

     As a noted pictorialist, Henry Peach Robinson often challenged the rules of photography as he became famous for his versatility in combination printing. Critics believed that because of the effects that pictorialist were able to obtain with combination printing, certain photographs were objective and could not be considered realism. Photography being a new form of art, different components like idealism in photographs were also in question.
     During this time, idealism was also in question when it came to pictorialism. Henry Peach Robinson believed that photographs are unique in a sense that photographers should leave their own mark in their photographs. "If we can add untruth, we can idealize" (Robinson 92).  In the reading, idealism has been defined as being in touch with the mental or intellectual. Critics believed that "foundation of all great work must be laid upon what is real and true..."
    In the picture I have included in the post, the photographer Stuart Franklin focuses on the beauty of trees and how they occupy different environments. Robinson explains to his readers the criticism early photographers experienced and based upon that, this photograph is based upon what is real and true. But the society of photography soon grew tired of this concept. Photographs of nature, portraits and landscapes had been exhausted and became less interesting because of they lacked mystery.
   Surrounding this new idea of mystery in photographs, was the new concept of impressionism. Impressionism was defined as the  the unity and order of impression gained by focusing on the subject. The subject of the photograph is to grab the viewers attention naturally. It made those observing the photographs focus and wonder what the subject of the image was. Though photography has changed over time, the concepts of realism, idealism, and impressionism hold ground in the photographic society.