I don't know which of Steichen's prints are being referred to.
But, the comments made about the restricted tonal range in his platinum
prints may also be made of Strand's and Stieglitz's work in the teens and
20's. In Strand's platinum photographs of Rebecca (even in a silver
gelatin print of her) and in Stieglitz's platinum and palladium prints of
Georgia O'Keefe, very often there are no more than two to three zones
represented. Overall, the prints are very dark. According to today's
contemporary photography standards, dark restricted tonal ranges may not
be appreciated. I find these photographs exquisite.
I think Ansel Adams (his work and his teaching) had a major impact
upon photographers and the public. He not only stressed the desire for
the presence of several zones in a print, but in my mind he seemed to
emphasize subject matter over what I would call the atmosphere of a
photograph. Strand and Stieglitz were developing an "expressive
photography". To reach that expressive quality, many of their prints
emphasized a haptic quality over a visual quality. In terms of the
sensibility of a viewer (and at the risk of simplifying it all), our
culture seems to place a premium on the visual function of photography for
providing information of subject matter. For Strand and Stieglitz, their
attention to subject matter struggled with their emphases on atmosphere.
That is why they occasionally used the compression of the luminous scale.
My thoughts on this period of photography come from viewing
original prints at the Getty collection a couple of years ago. I never
did find out where Strand's and Stieglitz's darkroom notes are located.
After seeing the prints I began to wonder what type of negatives they
created for their expressive photography. Also, what practices did they
use to achieve the print. Does anyone know if their darkroom notes are
available in a library or archive?
Looking back at my comments here I realize that they depart from
the kinds of discussions on this list server. Are others interested in
discussing the kinds of historical issues that I am raising? My question
is not a criticism of what is being accomplished in our exchange. I really
value the messages. What are your thoughts and feelings about adding
additional dimensions to our exchanges? I entered the list in late
December, so I don't know if aesthetic issues have been discussed in
earlier months.
ron silvers