Photographs have been around for a long time, and their history can be traced back to the first decade of the 1800s. Early photographs were mostly direct photo copies of other images, like paintings or drawings.
As time passed, photographers became more creative with their work, experimenting with different lighting techniques and image transfers. With the introduction of digital photography at the turn of the twenty-first century, this became even more prevalent.
Many popular models and celebrities have their own photography brands where they post photos of themselves or other people or places. These are then spread across social media platforms and become very popular.
Recently, photographs have been collected in major fine arts museums. This is a great recognition of the art form and shows how much it has developed over the years.
Impressionism movement
A large part of the reason that photorealism is gaining recognition is because of the Impressionism movement that occurred around a hundred years ago.
The Impressionism movement was when paintings became about color and brushstroke rather than actual realism. This is where paintings became more about emotion and expression than what was actually photographed.
Since then, art has become more open to different styles and perceptions of what art is. This has made it easier for photorealism to be collected by museums since it is no longer a taboo style.
As mentioned before, the rise in technology has also played a role in collecting photorealistic art in museums. Since it has become easier to produce high quality photographs, it has become acceptable to use them as reference material for artwork.
Post-impressionism movement
A major movement in art that has had a lasting effect on art collection is the post-impressionism movement. This movement began around the late nineteenth century and lasted into the early twentieth century.
Post-impressionism is defined as a movement in art where artists painted objects and scenes in a manner that did not necessarily follow natural perspective.
Instead, the paintings had more of a subjective or imaginative perspective. Colors were also very vibrant and important to the painting. The paintings also tended to have less detail than paintings prior to this movement.
Post-impressionist artists are known for painting everyday scenes such as nature, people, and culture. These artists are credited with bringing art back to simplicity and away from the high level of detail in past artistic works.
Whether it be past or present, art is an incredibly personal form of expression. People choose to paint or draw what they find meaningful or what triggers emotions within them.
Becomes popular among the wealthy
In the past, art was a very individual thing. It was something that an individual created, and only that individual could appreciate it. Others may have tried to appreciate art that was not created by them, but it was difficult.
However, in our modern world, that has completely changed. Now, art is quite commonly appreciated by almost everyone.
How did this happen? How did art go from being something only an individual can appreciate to being something nearly everyone can appreciate? The answer lies in the way art is marketed these days.
Artists now market their work heavily and use social media to get the word out about their artwork. This makes it so that even people who do not personally know the artist or have any personal connection to them will still buy their artwork. This increases production and sales of artwork which in turn increases its popularity among the general public.
Helps preserve artworks
As photography became more popular and accessible, many people began to collect photographs. This can be in the form of printed photos or stored digital photographs.
Just like paintings are now added to art museum collections, photographs are now being collected and exhibited in major fine arts museums. This is a big milestone for the photography industry!
Many photographers now use digital mediums to take and edit photos, which makes it easier to produce a high quality photograph. With the help of computers, photographers can now edit multiple versions of the same photo to get the perfect one.
Some photographers use this technology to their advantage to create really interesting pieces. Some may question if these are truly art, but that is up to the photographer and/or artist to determine that.
Museums collect photographs too
In the past few years, photographs have been collected in major fine arts museums around the world. Photographs have even been placed in museum exhibitions alongside paintings and sculptures.
This is a big deal, as art historians have traditionally looked down on photographs as art. For many years, photography was not considered a fine art due to its perceived simplicity.
However, since the birth of Instagram and other social media platforms, photography has gained respect as a medium. People now appreciate the time and effort it takes to take a good photograph.
Many contemporary photographers now sell their work for high prices, comparable to those of artists in other mediums such as painting or sculpture. Photography has come a long way!
Today, some museums include photographs in their collections but also collect and exhibit them separately from paintings and sculptures.
Help visitors take better photos
As mentioned before, the camera has become a standard part of our everyday lives. With almost everyone having a smart phone, it is easy to access and use the camera feature.
With the rise of Instagram and other social media sites that heavily promote photo taking, it has become very common for pictures to be collected in major fine arts museums.
Instagram even has an art filter that gives pictures a museum-like feel. With the right lighting and color balance, anyone can take a picture that looks like a masterpiece!
As with any art medium, there are those that are better than others. The same goes for amateur photographers- some may have wonderful talent, but lack the skills of professional photographers.
If you find someone who takes really nice pictures, ask if they have ever taken any professional photos.
They may be sold to raise funds
In the past few years, street photography has become a very popular genre of photography. As the name suggests, street photographers typically photograph everyday situations and environments, oftentimes without consent of those photographed.
Many street photographers have their own styles and subjects they photograph. Some focus on poverty, others zoom in on faces or body parts, and some take photos of architecture or scenery.
Despite the wide range of subjects, most street photography is not considered fine art by professionals. Many consider it to be more of a hobby or niche genre that is collected only by fans and enthusiasts.
They allow visitors to study the works in detail
As mentioned before, thanks to cameras that are built into most smartphones, it has become very common for people to have a camera always on them.
This has led to an increase in the amount of pictures taken, and the number of pictures people have stored on their devices. People now have a large collection of pictures that they take and keep for personal use.
These pictures can be put into folders or albums, making it easy to organize them. This makes it easy to create a collection of photographs for personal use.
How many photographs you collect really depends on the person, but I think we can all agree that having a collection of photographs on hand is a good thing. It allows you to gather your favorite photos and organize them in an album or display for your viewing pleasure.
