Activity #9 Camera Essay

During the 19th century the camera took visual art to a whole new level. There was a new visual outlook after the emergence of the camera. Artist started making their paintings look more photographic. Before the camera the main purpose of Art was to record. The camera was able to take pictures of moving images and capture light. As a result, Artist began to use more of the design elements to be expressive. Cropping and color were becoming to be more visible in paintings. Cropping off the heads of individuals by bringing their images closer to the front of the painting was done to give this type of effect. Also, the use of many different colors to make paintings stand out and shift the focus on the vibrant colors was becoming the norm. But, the camera was able to take still shots and full figured pictures.

During the war cameras were used to take pictures and show what was happening right then as opposed to waiting for Artists to paint a portrait after the event occurred. The camera relies on a natural phenomenon known as antiquity: that light reflected from an object can, under controlled circumstances, project an image of that object onto a surface. (209) This among many other reasons is why the camera became very instrumental in the art world and a new way of painting pictures had arrived. The visual outlook will never be the same after the camera, because it created a new way for artists to express themselves.