What is a Photogram?A photogram is a type photograph created by layering objects on-top of light sensitive paper and then exposing the paper for a very short period of time under artificial light. A part from when exposing the paper needs to be kept in the dark at all times as it only takes a few seconds of light for the photogram to become over-exposed. After the exposure the photogram is developed in developer, stopper and fixer chemicals for the usual time of 1:1:5 minutes. A Brief History of PhotogramsThe photogram is yet another early form of photography originating from around 1800, said to be the first photographic negative (though not the first permanent photograph as that was by Nicéphore Niépce). The photogram was invented by William fox Talbot however it is said Anna Atkins also bares some responsibility for her work photographing plants and algae using cyanotypes. Side note- apparently some people class cyanotypes as a type of photogram as you place objects onto the paper but I digress. Initially photograms were made on metal plates however they were soon replaced with photographic paper as the metal plates weren’t viable for commercial use. In the early 20th the process was picked up by modernist artists such as Christian Schad and Man Ray who gave the technique new life, creating their "Schadographs" and "Rayographs". Admittedly a Schadograph and Rayograph are very similar the only real difference I can find is that Schad made his by layering old discarded tickets and recipes he found, whereas Ray focussed more on the surrealist approach. Photographing a range of household items in varying positions and playing with how the light would bounce off them. Historical PhotographersChristian SchadChristian Schad (1894-1982) was a German painter and photographer known for his interest in Dadaism and photograms. Though born in Germany he spent much of his life in the surrounding country’s of Europe including the Netherlands and Switzerland after he was forced to flee the Nazi in 1915 because of his pacifist ideology. However despite this it is really through his travels that his interest in Dadaism and alternative art really took of, having met a few influential artists of this movement. Schad’s first photogram was made in 1918 while living in Geneva. Using his new modernism approach he was able to breath new life into the technique. Though this is not explicitly stated anywhere, it is my believe that Schad may have influenced other artists of the time to take up the photogram. László Moholy-NagyLászló Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian artist and photographer who lived from 1895 to 1946. During his life he was a keen graphic artist and teacher with an interest in the avant-garde. He took up art following an injury he suffered while serving in the austro-hungarian army. However it was until 1925-1927 that he took an interest in photography. An interest which led him to the photogram. When it comes to his photograms he uses a lot of layering, many of them featuring hands and some kind of wire of grid. He is also said to have used other materials such as graphite, varnish and/or paint on top of his photographic images. Short video I found on the Guggenheim Museums’ website about László Moholy-Nagy Contemporary PhotographersLiz NielsenLiz Nielsen is an American artist and photographer currently living in New York City. She is one of the few photogram artists who work in colour. A result she manages to achieve via a process of different layering papers on top of each other and exposing each part of the photographic separately under different coloured lights. It is in this way some liken Nielsen more to a painter then a photographer as she uses light more as a substitute for paint, to craft an abstract array of shapes and colours. She also works in varying sizes from 100 x 100 inches to 8 x 8 inches. Analysis of WorkThis is an Analogue Chromogenic Photogram on Fujiflex (a reflective silver halide printing paper) titled either “Space Tree” or “Together” (conflicting sources) by Liz Nielsen. It was created in either 2015 or 2017. As with most of Nielsen’s work it was created using coloured lights and piece of paper to block out areas she didn’t want exposed to certain light. As for the meaning, well it’s abstract so as with most pieces of this genre the interruption is up to the viewer. If we go with the idea that this piece is called “Together” then it could be said that perhaps this amalgamation is perhaps meant to be representative of the symbol for gender- with the circle in the middle and the line coming out. Or I could just be over thinking it and perhaps the name is just a reference to how all the shapes in the image come “Together” and converge in the circle. Another interruption is that is could resemble a tool of sorts or even a vanity mirror. Of course I still have yet to look at the angle of this being a “Space tree” and if I’m honest I don’t see a tree anywhere in the image, no matter how much you try to squint. But I suppose maybe thats the point, after all we don’t know what a tree from some alien planet would even look like so I guess in a way this makes sense. Again I am very much looking for answers in a place that may not have had any to begin with. But at any rate I cannot say for certain what the artist’s intention was with this piece. That being said i did however find this statement below about the collection I believe this piece is from. “"The work is made with a lot behind it from my own world, yet the way it is read often comes from what the viewer brings to each piece,” she says. “There are surprises for me sometimes, yet at this point, so much is intentional. My hope for the work is that it opens up a space inside of the person looking at it, and that space is an invitation into a new way of seeing. At its very best, I wish for the viewer to have an ‘ah-ha’ moment, a quantum leap inside the mind.””- Liz Nelson about her Smoke Signals collection to which I believe this image is a part of, as wrote by "It's nice that" Martha MadiganMartha Madigan is an American photographer who has experimented with a wide range of photographic mediums from cyanotypes to the newest digital cameras. She started using photograms in 1972 when she picked up the technique working as an undergraduate. A lot of her work focuses on themes of life, death and “the relationship between nature and culture, and the fleeting existence of the body”- Museum of Contemporary Photography. Analysis of WorkThis is a piece by Martha Madigan titled Clara (Autumn). It is a Chromogenic development photogram print dated from 1991-1994. And is perhaps one of Madigan’s more renown pieces. To create this Madigan says she lay multiple sheets of printing paper outside and had her daughter lie on them while the papers developed in the sunlight. After successfully making a silhouette, Madigan then spread leaves over the print and exposed the image a second time. Before finally adding a third layering of leaves and taking a photo in colour using a large-format camera. To create the finishing look Madigan then combined the all the prints together and created this wonder of layering. As for what Madigan may have been trying to say with the photogram well, since her work deals with a lot of themes around life and death it could be assumed that she was going for a ghostly appearance with this figure. Perhaps one might go as far to say the figure is the embodiment of death in this image. This is of course in sharp contrast to the blooming vivid leaves scattered around the silhouette. But if you really wanted to get morbid you could say this is a burial place, where some lone soul has just laid to be covered in leaves, in the ever continuing circle of life. ‘Tis certainly a more poetic interpretation, again not entirely sure if that is what Madigan was going for but considering her other works near with similar topics, I think its a valid conclusion. Short video from my tutor on how to make photograms. It helped me to pick up any information that may have missed during the lesson. My PhotogramThis is my photogram. To create this I took a sheet of photographic paper, placed it on the enlarger and then placed objects ontop. Before finally turning on the light of the enlarger for about 3 seconds and then developing it. As you can see the objects I choose to use were two peacock feathers, a round glass bowl and a strip of film. I decided to go with a 20s theme for this image for literally no other reason then I like the 20s. The end result I am quite happy with, especially the glass bowl that has casted quite an interesting shape onto the paper below. I also rather like the film too as at the time I choose it I didn't realise you would be able to see what was on the film through the enlarger's light. And so seeing it come up on the image was quite a surprise but nonetheless not an unwelcomed one. This is my second photogram, to create this I took a selection of synthetic leafs and layered them on top of eachother on the film before exposing them under the enlarger. This is the end result. All in all I’m quite happy with it as it looks like an X-ray of a pile of leaves. However upon reflection I think it would’ve been quite nice if i had included a small focal point, say something like a small jewel or something This is my third and final photogram. It is made of a selection of bottles I found and a few pieces of lace-like materials. For this one I decided to go with a Victorian-apothecary vibe for no other reason then I could. Must say I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, especially the right side of the image with the sharp edges of the objects. Future UseIn the future I may make use of photograms in the same fashion as cyanotypes in that I could use it to create relives of items which I could then use in my digital illustration work. Health and Safety![]()
Reference Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogram
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/schad-christian/life-and-legacy/#nav
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/moholy-nagy-laszlo/life-and-legacy/#nav https://www.guggenheim.org/video/moholy-nagy-and-photographic-processes https://canvas.saatchiart.com/art/art-news/the-enduring-influence-of-moholy-nagy
https://www.lensculture.com/articles/liz-nielsen-chasing-light-through-color-a-conversation-with-liz-nielsen https://www.liznielsen.com/About https://www.liznielsen.com/Smoke-Signals https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/liz-nielsen-photography-220218 https://blackboxprojects.art/exhibitions/6/works/artworks-37-liz-nielsen-space- tree-2015/
https://www.mocp.org/detail.php?t=objects&type=tag&f=1772&s=&record=0&tag=leaves
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