New at the National Gallery: Birth of British Photography

In a world filled with iPhones, Flip cameras and Skype, it’s hard to imagine how the average person reacted to the first photograph ever taken back in 1839. Even more interesting: How did those first photographs affect other artists and their medium at the time? Think about it: For the first time ever, a portrait or a painting of a landscape could be compared to a photograph of the real thing. A monumental moment in art history, and the folks at the National Gallery of Art (4th St. & Constitution Ave., NW) thought so, too.

Opening Oct. 31, the newest exhibit at the National Gallery, “The Pre-Raphaelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848–1875” focuses on the relationship between photography and painting in the 19th century. Looking to the art that preceded Raphael and answering John Ruskin’s call to study nature, young painters were intrigued by the new photographic medium, particularly its ability to capture every detail of a scene. The result: A new generation of British artists who borrowed from the innovations of photography to create a bold new realist representation of the visual world.

And just as the painters were challenged, so were the photographers, who were struggling to prove that their innovation should also be considered fine art. To accomplish this, many photographers looked to Pre-Raphaelite visual strategies and subjects extracted from literature, history and religion to secure this critical status.

The result of this mutual admiration between artists is a stunning exhibit located in the gallery’s West Building, which features close to 100 works, both photographs and paintings. A lecture (Nov. 21); several films (Dec. 1–30); a concert featuring music from the time period (Nov. 3); and a public symposium (Jan. 22) are among the offerings accompanying the exhibition.

All programs are free.

“The Pre-Raphaelite Lens,” at the National Gallery of Art through January 30, 2011.

Contributing Editor Sara Brown covers the arts and entertainment for Washington Flyer.