Elias Goldensky, (American, 1867–1943) provided by the Phillips Collection via The George Eastman House

Photos such as this one of three women captivate in The Phillips Collection's newest exhibit, TruthBeauty.

When Photos Became Art: "TruthBeauty" at the Phillips Collection

In a world fraught with technological point and shoot digital cameras, it’s easy to forget the beauty of true art. Serving as a gentle reminder of when photography first was inducted into this genre is “TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945,” now showing at the Phillips Collection.

More than 120 works are on display at the just-opened exhibit (through Jan. 9), where viewers will find breathtaking photographs from Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, who later renounced themselves from the art of pictorialism.

The premise behind pictorialism is simple, but was revolutionary: Treat a photo like art, rather than a captured, defined moment.

Director of the Phillips Collection Dorthy Kosinski explains the exhibit as, “a wonderful moment in the history of photography and of modernism,” and says viewers could learn about special techniques used by pictorialists.

Pictorialists, such as Alvin Landgon Coburn and Gertrude Käsebier on display in “TruthBeauty,” manipulated photos from start to finish to create pieces that were anything but ordinary.

Think the same subject cast three different ways, such as “Portrait of Three Women” by Elias Goldensky (key image), or merging two separate photos, a portrait and a landscape, for instance, to invent a whole new scene. Pictorialists took a new view on printing processes, using gum bichromate to explore the range of colors and textures a photo could provide, such as Alvin Langdon Coburn’s self portrait with Copper Plate Press (below) or by using gelatin silver coating on the photo paper to create a richer black and white tone in the photograph.

Anthony Bannon, director of the George Eastman House, which largely contributed to the exhibit from its own collection, says, “Pictorialism is not only about the beautiful picture, not only about the declaration and beauty of art … These are men and women who care very much about the constitution of photography and they are pushing boundaries.”

Just as impressionists introduced the idea of en plein air and vibrancy among their subjects, pictorialists ventured to take on a new view of photography, all the more difficult with the invention of the Kodak camera. The invention acted as an antithesis to the pictorialist movement as it advocated for amateur photographers. Additionally, viewers will find photos that push subject matter as well as new techniques, such as a display of F. Holland Day who reenacted Jesus’ crucifixion in a series of photos, showing that photography is another medium that can tackle sacred subjects and provide symbolism.

As a supplement to the pictorialist exhibit, the Phillips Collection is also displaying “Coburn and the Photographic Portfolio,” with works by expatriate Alvin Langdon Coburn. Sixteen of his photos focus on a combination of portrait photography with an eye to aesthetically pleasing architecture mostly using photogravure, which reproduces photographs from an inked etched plate that is run through a press. Because of the manual labor that went into each photo, Coburn saw himself a true artist creating original works of art—much like pictorialists throughout the 20th century did.

Other can’t miss events at The Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., NW):

Workshop on Photogravure; Sat., Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.; Phillips educator Rachel Goldberg will lead a class in a discussion about the printing process that defined much of pictorialism, ending with a hands-on demonstration to teach aspiring photographer the trade. All levels welcome, $35 for nonmembers, $25 for members (includes admission to museum).

Lecture on Alvin Langdon Coburn: from Pictorialism into Modernism; Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m. find out more about the revolutionary photographer from Pamela Roberts, a former curator of the Royal Photographic Society Collection, which held many of Coburn’s works. Included in admission fee, free for members.