Photography as an art form
In an age where everyone carries a camera in their pocket, photography has become the most accessible form of art. But what defines a photograph as fine art? To be considered fine art, a photograph must be more than a literal representation of its subject, it ought to be deliberately curated to express an idea. Like a painting, or a sculpture, it should make an artistic statement.
When photography was first developed, critics refused to consider it an art form as it was made by machines. However, in decades since, notable names including Man Ray, Ansel Adams and Edward Weston have solidified photography as a fine art form, showing that it is the work of the photographer, not the camera, that makes a photo a piece of fine art. Centring fashion, landscapes, celebrities, and everyday life, these photographers have documented every aspect of humanity and nature.
Each working within a different style, pioneering fine art photographers Eve Arnold, Simon Claridge and Raphael Mazzucco have continued to shape the art form, introducing modern ideas and techniques. Here we spotlight these artists, exploring their styles and their unique approaches to photography as an art form.
Featured Art: 'Lennon & McCartney - Silkscreen on canvas'. A signed, limited edition silkscreen on canvas by contemporary figurative artist Simon Claridge.
Capturing the truth
Pioneering photojournalist Eve Arnold is best known for her intimate portraits of Marilyn Monroe, as well as her work around social justice, politics and womanhood. With curiosity as her driving force, it was her mission to capture reality in her photographs.
Never using studios or professional lighting, Arnold travelled the world photographing her subjects in situ, building a relationship of trust and companionship that allowed her to take authentic, truthful photographs.
Photographing everyone from celebrities and politicians to manual labourers and potato farmers, Arnold mastered both black and white and colour photography. She did not like to limit herself to just one, so alternated between the two throughout her career depending on her subject.
The artist’s black-and-white images are hand-printed silver gelatin prints, produced from the original negative. In a darkroom, they are developed, fixed, washed for at least an hour, and finally air dried. As the work is all done by hand, each print is unique. Arnold’s colour images are C-Type prints, scanned and then printed digitally as the original negatives are incredibly fragile.
“If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given. It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.” - Eve Arnold
Blurring fantasy and reality
British contemporary artist Simon Claridge has garnered international acclaim for his fine art interpretations of iconic figures from the worlds of fashion, film and music, counting Hollywood A-listers like Claudia Schiffer and Rod Stewart among his collectors.
Claridge has transformed photographs from hallowed archives, including those of legendary English photographer Terry O’Neill CBE, Playboy and 20th Century Fox, into silkscreens, imbued with his now signature diamond dust finish.
This unique technique ensures that no two people will view Claridge’s art in the same way as light is reflected and refracted off the shiny particles of the ‘diamond dust’– an incredibly rare material.
His silkscreen renderings have been executed thoughtfully, to retain the essence of the original exposures and showcase his own style, as well as that of the original photographer.
Featured Art (L-R): 'Studio Shot, 1948' and 'Driftwood, Tobay Beach, 1949' . Limited edition Giclée on paper of 295 from the Edward Weston Collection.
Multi-media masterpieces
Canadian-born artist Raphael Mazzucco layers paint, photography, and hand-lettered text to capture the human form against a backdrop of startling landscapes that span the continents, from Icelandic glaciers to African wildlife and Vietnamese rice paddies.
Mazzucco began his career as a New York-based photographer before going on to become one of the world’s most celebrated fashion photographers. His work has featured in some of the most prestigious fashion publications, including Vogue, Marie Claire and Vanity Fair, and he is the photographer behind many recognisable campaigns for brands including Ralph Lauren and Victoria’s Secret.
Today, Mazzucco channels his artistic soul into creating multi-media artwork that layers his photography with paint, text and collected materials. Taking viewers on a documentary-style journey through geographic and emotional terrains, his pieces are often encased in a layer of resin, giving them a stunning high-gloss finish and incredible depth.
But Raphael’s photography is, of course, where it all begins. He totally immerses himself in the part of the world he’s visiting, and the people who live there, writing journal entries alongside his photographs to build his final visual narrative.
“I love the work after the photograph, telling a story through layers, rather than just the simple photograph.” – Raphael Mazzucco
