Pre-Raphaelites to Paintography

I was reminded by a friend of mine about the 'Pre-Rephaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde' exhibition that recently opened at the Tate Britain. I am so grateful to my friend for this reminder. I would otherwise leave my visit to the last days of the exhibition and it would be such a shame.

In case you wonder where the 'Pre-Raphaelites' name came from the exhibition guide describes it clearly: 'They (artists such as Millain, Rossetti, Holman Hunt,...) believed that art had become decadent, and rejected their teachers' belief that the Italian artist Raphael (1483-1520) represented the pinnacle of aesthetic achievement. They looked to earlier art whose bright colours, flat surfaces and truth to nature they admired.'

And this is what I took away from the exhibition myself; the treatment of colour, the saturated hues of the palette and the sharp contrast helped by strong outlines. The artists are not only true to nature in their use of colour but also detail. Indeed, they were thought to copy from photographs but this was not the case. Having said that, they were aware of the benefits of photography and would apply them to their paintings.

We were looking at this oil ('Strayed Sheep' by William Holman Hunt) with my friend and both agreed on the framing of this composition. The little bit of coast at the background touching the cliff and eventually bringing the viewer to the flock of sheep. However, the sheep are filling only the right side of the picture when some are cropped in a rather unusual way. Wasn't it more acceptable to centre the subject or bring it slightly off centre up to that point?


Somehow, I could not help but think of my own photographs and the treatment they receive after I upload them onto my computer. What is more, everywhere I looked I would make a connection to something called 'Paintography' - a technique I have wanted to try for a while now. After this exhibition I have finally touched on the technique...

 ...to the left is my usual treatment (bringing up colour and contrast). The left picture of wispy grass has addition of further Photoshop tools that I actually forgot I can use (that happens when there is not much need for them in one's work).


Suddenly, from an attractive picture there is something else, something new. This is a cross between a photograph and a painterly approach to a photograph. I know, I might be applauding myself here a bit. The point is that if it was not for the 'Pre-Raphaelites' exhibition I would still only think about paintography, I would not start on something so interesting, so creative. And so, I am embarking on a new adventure. K-)