Pictorialism: Techniques and Processes (Part 3)

Blog Entry No 10
Tutor: Ms. Scicluna
Date Uploaded/Updated: 20/11/15

Techniques and Processes - Platinum Process, Photogravure and Gum - Bichromate Process: - Ennobling the Photograph. 

There are Pictorialists that have used different and particular processes as such gum bichromate (which is a printing process that involved various layers of chemicals to sensitive light on watercolour or printmaking paper, resigned soft-edged, painterly style to photographs) - to develop the photos that are captured. In deliberating and choosing handmade manipulation over the print, it is not an unformily manner in selecting an anti - photographic approach, as in attempt to find a precise meaning to self - expressing the subject and to separate the photograph, giving the photographer a trademark of a style. 
The meanings of the types of different processes that can be found and were used in the Pictorial movement were most common as;

Fig 1: White.C (The Orchard ) 1902/1907, platinum print 

Platinum Process: was produced by forming contact printing process, with a partial of printing out with some sort of ultraviolet radiation; during this process is complete then the procedure of chemical development is processed, with no post - camera manipulation. In developing a wide range of tonal variation, it is popular with the naturalist and straight style of photographers until the the early 1900's.

Fig 2: Kuhn. H: Schnitterin (The Harvester) 1925, photograurve

Photograuvre: This is a negative that is creating with an etching process on to the metal plate in which is then brushed with ink and prcoessed into an etching print. This siple process of creating a steel plate from a negative have been processed by Talbot. This interogates hand manipulation, as its original was in multiple reproductions that could not be made. The process was done as by some that thought had being unmanipulated but the pictorialists adimred the type of process and the result of the final photograph, which were impressionistic and identical to some cases to a woodburytype.

Gum - Bichromate Process (Photo Aquatint): This process is made by a negative straight out of a camera that is placed on top of something that is coated with a pigmented gum arabic, including a light- sensitive chemical, which is exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Some parts and areas of the gym arabic becomes hard and difficult to handle, it depends of the thickness of the negative as other parts are washed off. Some pigments may be added to different expsures and other pigments can be combined, whilst paper is surfaced all affect the outcome of the process as it is popular with Demachy, Stenichen and Kuhn.


References 
The End of Fact? Pictorialism <http://www.radford.edu/rbarris/art451%20Hist%20of%20Photog/pictorialism.html>