Faking It

As promised here's a recap of my experience at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's current photography exhibition, "Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop," curated by Mia Fineman.

I am trying to get better about seeing shows soon after they open, not a week before they close. I always find something else to do or see and wait until the last minute then rush to the museum before the exhibition is dismantled. Going during the last week is usually a terrible idea and I would not recommend it. The crowds are horrendous and all the extras such as gallery talks, lectures and tours have already run their course. But lucky for me this was not the case last Friday, even with bustling galleries and crowds of tourists I was able to make the most out of the exhibition.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I arrived promptly at 11 am and was able to catch a gallery tour which highlighted a few pieces in the show. The tour was given by Fineman's research assistant and I spoke to her about a variety of subjects, including her favorite works and the curatorial goals behind the exhibition's organization. The exhibition, divided into seven categories (Picture Perfect, Artifice in the Name of Art, Politics & Persuasion, Novelties & Amusements, Pictures in Print, Mind's Eye and Protoshop) explores the rich history of photographic manipulation. By organizing the work thematically the viewer can read the photographs in the context in which they were created. The curator did an excellent job representing various time periods and the accompanying labels not only provided a history of the photographs but also explained why they belonged in each particular section.

One of the earliest examples of photographic manipulation was an image by Paolo Salviati. Taken in the 1880s this photograph depicts a Venetian canal lit by the moonlight. Because night photography was not technologically possible during this time period, Salviati repurposed his daylight scene by painting a wash of blue over the sky, adding a moon and creating shadows on the water. The practice of painting over photographs was fairly common and was likely a profitable technique since customers often requested nocturnal photographs like the one seen here. 

Paolo Salviati. 17 Rio Pesaro, Venice. 1880s.

While painting over photographs was done to increase aesthetic appeal, another form of manipulation was harnessed to make the photographers job easier. As explained by the research assistant, group photography was a difficult genre to master as it was often hard to get all the participants together at the same time. There are several examples of group photography in the exhibition, many of them serious portraits of generals and soldiers, but one of my favorites was this piece by George Washington Wilson.  Created in 1857 this collection of busts is amusing as Wilson literally cut and pasted the heads of these elite individuals into a larger collage then re-photographed it. It is fun to get especially close up and examine the various expressions.

George Washington Wilson. Aberdeen Portraits No. 1. 1857.

The use of collage was effective when it came to arranging subjects for a group portrait and continued to be a preferred method of manipulation into the 20th century. Perhaps one of the most famous examples of collage can be found in the political work of John Heartfield. Known for his anti-fascist stance Heartfield perfected the art of photomontage by creating images which almost forced the reader to believe what he was presenting. The piece featured in the exhibition depicts Adolf Hitler, his propaganda master Joseph Goebbels and the Luftwaffe chief Hermann Göring teetering on the edge of a tight rope. The composition while politically motivated is also interesting from a technical standpoint. Upon closer inspection you can see the hand of Heartfield in the ink lines, cut outs, pencil markings and cropping notes. Photomontage may have been one of the more popular ways to manipulate photography but it was certainly not the only technique used.

John Heartfield. Die Drei Weisen aus dem Sorgenland. 1935.

Highlighted in the Novelties & Amusements section is a series of decapitation photographs which were all created using trick photography. This bizarre collection of images depicting self-decapitation, men juggling their own heads and plenty of fake blood is worth a second look. The majority of these photographs were taken in the late-19th century and were the work of amateur photographers who were experimenting with tips and tricks available in popular trade magazines. This collection of photographs is surprisingly large and provides insight into the culture surrounding new dark room technology at the turn of the century.

Unknown. Decapitated Man with Head on Platter. ca. 1865.

Saint Thomas D'Aquin. Man Juggling His Own Head. ca. 1880.

The exhibition which provides examples of photographic manipulation from the invention of the medium (1839) to the release of the first Photoshop program (1990) wraps up with images from the later part of the 20th century. Yves Klein, Harry Shunk and Janos Kender's piece, Leap Into the Void is perhaps one of the better examples of photomontage from the 1960s. The photograph depicting an air born Klein was distributed throughout Paris in the form of broadsheet and became a well known example of the artist's favored gesture. 

Yves Klein, Harry Shunk and Janos Kender. Leap Into the Void. 1960.

This well executed and extensively researched exhibition provides an interesting glimpse into the history of photography. Fineman's broad look into the medium's past reminds viewers that there are many explanations for a photograph's purpose. Whether created for aesthetic reasons, utilitarian purposes, political statements or for simple amusement there is a rich history of photographic manipulation. The notion that photography can communicate a truthful and realistic representation of the world is a myth that is often perpetuated by the medium and if this exhibition shows you anything it is that photographic images have been manipulated since photography's inception.
 
The exhibition, although closing this week in New York is set to travel to the National Gallery of Art and The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. If you're in either of these towns I highly recommend reserving a few hours to check out this exhibition. With over 200 photographs there is certainly a lot to see. Many of these photographs are best experienced up close so that you can examine the idiosyncrasies of the various techniques. In addition to the exhibition catalogue all of the images are on The Metropolitan Museum of Art's website so you can take a closer look into some of the specifics surrounding these works.