Painting vs Photography: POST #6

              Photography was a new medium to express the way we view the world. In the 19th century, painters were worried that their paintings would no longer be appreciated or wanted as "chemical photography" was being introduced but photography in retrospect made us appreciate composition that would help further different aspects of painting such as different ways of shading. It also helped appreciate abstraction. With the abundance of realism, abstraction became more exciting.
              There are many differences between photography and painting. Before photography, painting was the only way to capture a visual and preserve it. It was more imagination based rather than realism.                        
               They both contribute to aesthetics differently. For example, with painting we can use acrylic paint and show a 2 dimensional piece you can express it more symbolically as opposed to realistic. example: painting a sky that is normally blue; red to express anger. In photography, we can express this same notion realistically by manipulating the camera to change the objective and producing an expressionistic style.
                While painters require the use of understanding composition and color, they also need to understand hand and eye coordination to be in control of the brush being used while painting. On the other hand, photographers need to understand how to use different lenses and filters.
                 Photography has greatly influenced how we view paintings. It has showed us different lighting aspects and objectives that can be used for things in painting such as shading. Photography helped us capture and manipulate reality rather then objectively looking at something and painting it.

Annie Leibovitz b
"Keith Haring, New York City"
C-type print
1986
(The Photobook, Phaidon)