Photography Assignment

Henry Peach Robinson, known as the “king of Photographic Picture making", was born July 9, 1830 (Ludlow, Shropshire, England). He died February 21, 12901, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Henry Peach Robinson was an English photographer whose Pictorialist photographs and writing made him one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 19th century. In 1859 he married Selina Grieves (daughter of Ludlow chemist, John Edward Grieves). Before Robinson started photogrpaher he was an artist for other artistical hobbies, and started as an amateur painter. But later on in his life, Robinson started to realise his real passion, and that his heart belonged to doing photography for the rest of his life.

Robinson's work was very interesting, and back then wasn't always appropraite for the public's view. Robinson had a very orginal mind set, to create such amazing photographs that people still talk about today. Some of Robinson's work on the other hand was also very interesting and it was something you wouldn't see often. His work always had a very deep and meaningful story behind it, which gave the work different emotions.

My name is Robyn Stanton, the curator of this event. I created this exhbition to inform and excite you all about a famous photographer Henry Oeach Robinson. I have enjoyed making this exhibition, and it took quite some time but I overall enjoyed making it and I hope the same for you. I gained a lot of information from this, and it is a topic I would like to extend my knowledge on.

Robinson had a subject matter of using costumed models to shoot bucolic (country/rural) scenes in his studio. He made commercial portraiture, but he began to make photographs that imitated the themes and compositions of the anecdotal genre paintings popular at the time.

Robinson often imitated outdoor things inside his studio rather than using natural setting from outside.

Whilst shooting his photos, he found actual country people too awkward to place in his bucolic. So he used costumed actors or society ladies modelled for his many bucolic scenes.

The equipment Robinson used mainly were the old film cameras, and created negatives from them to make a whole image. This technique was very well known to Robinson, and was known as 'combining printing'. An example of a photo that Robinson created was The Lady of Shalott, 1861, using 2 negatives.

This image creates the structural frame through the elements of line, tone, colour, shape, direction and many more. The shape of the image is being defined through the tone, colour and line. The line in this photo creates rhythm, movement and emotion in many ways. The rhythm of the photo is created through the way the image has a dark background and is brighter on the dying girl showing the main point. The movement and emotion in the photo is shown through the different blacks being used to create the movement, and the dying girl with her heartbroken family, surrounding the girl. The tone and colour in the in the image gives many different emotions and perspectives to look at the image, because it is different tones of black and white. The direction most eyes would go to is the light part of the image creating that the focal point.

The principles of this structural frame are conveyed through the harmony, contrast, unity, variety and balance. The unity of this image is shown through the way the image is brought together. It focuses to the main point and it isn’t a busy photo of crazy colours or images giving that sense of pleasing towards the image. The variety of the image is simple and whole, because there are only two colours; black and white, being used in different tones, to show the different emotions and vitality in the image. The balance of the image is shown through the different elements and the way it creates movement as said about the tones, rhythmic view, and the emotion.

The photograph has been organised by using 5 negatives to create one whole image. The technique being used though which was familiar with Robinson was known as Combination printing.

The mood of the artwork is sad, grieving, dull and emotional because it is dark in a lot of areas and it has one bright white spot on the dying girl which is upsetting but focuses on the main point of the photograph. The factors being contributed to this are the different toned areas and the way the photograph is focused in a particular area.

This particular style of photographing is recognisable and unique to Robinson because, in many photographs he has used negatives to create them. Robinson has learnt how to make negatives from Oscar Gustaf Rejlander (1813-1875), who taught him how to combine and make a whole image.

Curator: Robyn Stanton

MAJOR ACHIEVMENTS,

COMMISIONS, AWARDS

ROBINSON'S

FRAMES

THANK YOU :)

Aged at 21 Robinson was an amateur painter, precious enough to have one of his paintings hung at the Royal Academy in London. He was congratulated with a scholarship for his amazing artworks.

In 1857 Robinson opened a photographic studio in Leamington, England. This was a massive acheivment because Robinson was able to express and sell things what he loved. In 1982 he became a founding member of Linked Ring (association of prestigious art photographers).

ART GALLERY OF NSW

HENRYPEACH ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY EXHBITION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FRAME ONE

ROBINSONS PHOTOGRPAHY WORK

Famous Quotes- Henry Peach Robinson (Bibliogrpahy included)

INTRODUCTION

PRACTICE

WEBSITE LINKS

Fading Away- Royal Photography Society 2012, Film National Media Television Radio Museum Web Photography , accessed 18 March 2013, <http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/Photography/RoyalPhotographicSociety/CollectionItem.aspx?id=2003-5001/2/23282>.

His Most Famous Photograph (Fading Away) - Henry Peach Robinson August 19th 2009, Enzine Articles, accessed 18th March 2013, <http://ezinearticles.com/?His-Most-Famous-Photograph-(Fading-Away)---Henry-Peach-Robinson&id=2785850>.

Robinson, Henry Peach 2010, Universalium.academic.ru, accessed 18th March 2013, <http://universalium.academic.ru/244609/Robinson,_Henry_Peach>.

The Lady of Shalott 30th December 2006, Victorian Web, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.victorianweb.org/photos/robinson/2.html>.

The Lady of Shalott: Henry Peach Robinson 18th March 2008, N.A, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://harrietbeckett5.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/lady-of-shalott-henry-peach-robinson.html >.

IMAGE LINKS

Fading Away, 1858, Photograph, Henry Peach Robinson, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/69/59969-004-F0287A4E.jpg>.

Henry Peach Robinson, n.d., Photograph, N.A., accessed 19 March 2013, <http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_p/0_photographers_robinson.jpg>.

The Lady of Shalott, 1861, Photograph, Henry Peach Robinson, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.victorianweb.org/photos/robinson/2.jpg>.

Camera, n.d., Photograph, N.A., accessed 19 March 2013, <http://s1.goodfon.com/image/91721-1920x1200.jpg>.

QUOTE LINK

Henry Peach Robinson Quotes March 11-2011, PhotoQuotes.com, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=291&name=Robinson%20,Henry>.

"Beauty, picturesqueness, and all loveliness are the food of art."

Henry Peach Robinson, Quote, 1830-1901

Henry Peach Robinson Quotes March 11-2011, PhotoQuotes.com, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=291&name=Robinson%20,Henry>.

"Photogrpah people as they are- do not dress them up."

Henry Peach Robinson, Quote- his book "Naturalistic for Students of Art" 1889

Henry Peach Robinson Quotes March 11-2011, PhotoQuotes.com, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=291&name=Robinson%20,Henry>.

"Healthy humans eyes never saw any part of a scence out of focus."

Henry Peach Robinson, Quote- his book "Naturalistic for Students of Art" 1889

Henry Peach Robinson Quotes March 11-2011, PhotoQuotes.com, accessed 21 March 2013, <http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=291&name=Robinson%20,Henry>.

Artwork: Fading Away

Artist: Henry Peach Robinson

Date: 1858

Size: 24.4 cm x 39.3 cm

ANALYSIS

PHOTOGRAPH TWO

JUDGEMENT

DESCRIPTION

INTERPRITATION

Artwork: The Lady of Shalott

Artist: Henry Peach Robinson

Date: 1861

Size: 30.4 x 50.8 cm (12 x 10 inches)

The Lady of Shalott has many elements and principles in the structural frame. The elements included in this are line, tone, colour, shape and direction. The way the line is presented is through the rhythm, movement and emotion in different ways. The rhythm conveyed through this photo is from the way the different tones have been created from using black and white shades. The black and white gives it more feelings and shows the realistic look it is meant to have. The movement of this photo comes from the actual image in itself, in a way from what the image is because it gives a feeling like you’re actually there. The emotion of this image is a main thing because you feel many emotions towards the photo, from the different perspectives shown. The girl in the boat gives people may thoughts, but the thought I first thought of was a girl who passed away and is resting peacefully. The tone of this image is similar to his other image Fading Away which had the different tones of black and white, and shows its main focal points. Colour also comes under the term of tone and just shows the different movement of the photo. With the photo not being colourful always gives a different feeling. The feeling most people would have is a calm feeling because it is two colours in different tones.

The principles of this structural frame are portrayed through the harmony, unity, variety and balance. The photo creates unity through the way the colours and tones blend in the photo, so it doesn’t take you focus away from the focal point. The harmony of the photo is being displayed from the feeling it gives to the audience which comes under the point of balance. The harmony of colours being used is demonstrated from how dense the colours are in the fore background and then, are calm towards the background. Without the harmony of the photo, the balance would be unbalanced and give a confused feeling. The variety of the photo is displayed well because the colours are created in a whole, which demonstrates validity as in Fading Away. The photograph has been composed from Robinsons special technique of combining printing which is different negatives put together to make a whole image. To create this amazing photo, Robinson used 2 negatives this time. The mood of the work is calm and it doesn’t give a rushed or busy feeling. It has dense blacks and whites, giving the audience a clearer perspective of the image. As being said, this is unique to the photographer because he liked to be different from other artists. Robinson made works that weren’t natural or appropriate for back then, but that is what he was known for and did well of. The inspiration on this work was because he believed that he followed Pre-Raphaelite principles in doing so. He was the first photographer to ever illustrate the work of Tennyson. He said “I made a barge, crimped the models hair, PR fashion, laid her on the boat in the river among the water lilies, and gave her a weeping background of weeping willows, taken in the rain so that they might look dreary.”

This photograph relates to the history of photography through the meaning being portrayed in the photo. Back then, it wasn’t appropriate to display things like this, in the sense that people didn’t like it and think it was normal. Photographs that are taken today aren’t the same usually, because people take the photo and print it. It is usually edited and cropped etc. Robinson used an old fashion camera and created negatives from it. This image related to other images, that I’ve analysed of Robinsons because he had the concept of displaying images that other photographers wouldn’t think of. I think this a really good photograph because it is showing originality and portrays to the audience that his work was different, from many other photographers.

In this photograph, there is a young girl dying with her grieving family surrounding her. Her mother, her sister and her fiancé are all there and it seems to appear, that the girl is ill from a serious disease of tuberculosis. It’s a disease that’s an infection in the tissues of the lungs.

From this photograph, Robinson has used 5 negatives to develop this photo using combining printing. The type of film used was a negative, and the lighter part of the photograph seems to be on the sick girl to grab more attention because it is the main focus.

The manipulation shown to make this image was from a old fashion film camera and developed onto 5 negatives, that are developed in the darkroom. The light being used is from inside his studio, because that is the technique Robinson used most often to create his images rather than natural.

The meaning of this particular photograph is about a young girl who is dying peacefully, with her grieving family around her. The photograph relates to other styles of Robinsons photographs, because he has used negatives a lot to develop his works. The idea being expressed in this artwork is to focus the main point on the girl, because the idea meant to be received is about the young girl dying peacefully, with her heart-broken family of an upsetting time.

JUDGEMENT

DESCRIPTION

ANALYSIS

INTERPRITATION

This photograph relates in many ways to the history of photography. This is presented through the 5 negatives Robinson used to create this photo which is a lot of work to do, but it turned out to be an amazing photo. The only way back then you couldn’t just take an image and print it out like you can today, and Robinson has presented a Historical example of photography from the 5 negatives used to create one whole picture.

This photo, relates to other photographs I have analysed because another one of Robinsons image was developed through negatives as well. But the other photo of The Lady of Shallot (1861), which had taken only 2 negatives to combine into one whole photo.

In this photograph, there is a young girl dying with her grieving family surrounding her. Her mother, her sister and her fiancé are all there and it seems to appear, that the girl is ill from a serious disease of tuberculosis. It’s a disease that’s an infection in the tissues of the lungs.

From this photograph, Robinson has used 5 negatives to develop this photo using combining printing. The type of film used was a negative, and the lighter part of the photograph seems to be on the sick girl to grab more attention because it is the main focus.

The manipulation shown to make this image was from an old fashion film camera and developed onto 5 negatives that are developed in the darkroom. The light being used is from inside his studio, because that is the technique Robinson used most often to create his images rather than natural.

The meaning of the artwork is about the lady of Shalott who, Robinson wanted to capture the loneliness of and contrast against her beauty and of the English countryside. This is from the reflections of the trees on the water and gives the medieval theme with the plush fabrics layered over the lady’s lifeless body. This relates to other styles of photographs, conveyed through the way Robinson created this image, using his main technique of combine printing. The main idea being explored through this photograph is about the Lady of Shalott’s loneliness compared against her beauty and the beauty of the English countryside, as being mentioned about the meaning of the work.