The "Western World" was in a fix, so to speak, after WWII. The capitol
of the artworld shifted from Paris to NYC. Philosopically ideas reaked
of Srtre yet PostModernism was already @ work re architecture.
The Korean "Poice Action", then the important US assasinations of 2
Kennedy's. M.L. King and Malcolm X. During that period came color
television and the Viet Nam conflagration (war) came into worldwide
attention. Photography was the visual communicative tool in the hands of
artists which exhibited "truth" and shot the pants off both painting and
sculpture which has been struggling under the aegis of history. Painting
fell prey to 'Pop' cultural icons and photo-realism and op-art.
Sculpture denied Praxiteles and decided that personal space and
performance which was linked to the temporal beauty of music was better
than forging.
35mm through the single lens reflex of Exacta, Pentax and Nikon made
vision appear to be real.
Emanating from Enland through Portobello Road was a reconsideration of
the Victorian Era and Aubrey Beardsley to Louis Tiffany were rejuvenated
as was the importance of Alfred Steiglitz and his anti-Pictorialism
stance.
Out of this came a re-interest in large format cameras in a sort of
anti-Zone System rejuvenation. Clarence White, Annie Brigman, Isadora
Duncan (dancer) et al seemed to harbor aspects of a time possibly more
fruitful than the disruption of the 60's and interest in cyanotype and
other methods of putting a photographic image onto a paper surface were
sought out.
Maybe drugs helped. A lot of the early bands (in our San Francisco area)
reflected a Wild West consideration. Acid brought many middle class
youth to the interest in rural living. In essence, an exit from the city
and noticeable urban decay.
So much in what governments of the Western World had created ... you
know ... war, genocide, dictators, greed for money over people,
colonialism, patriarchal puerile notions etc. .... looked spurious,
stupid and supercilious and superficial.
A few dedicated and serious photo practicioners, interested in the
medium's history, tried some of the old techniques. Mind you, there were
virtually no books out on individual photographers nor tomes on
processing outside of Eder's history of Photography. heck, read Beamont
newhall's history books then and you'll note how narrow minded they
were.
That's it, a return to hisotrical processing and techniques to aid the
escape of narrow mindedness. The rvivial is now complete and the medium
is now replete with an egalitarian approach. To a degree, the opening of
old techniques to the visual lexicon of photographers, was an
emancipation proclamation. Now, us photo based artists and new young
students can do ANYTHING they wish with, to or for enhancement of the
photographic image.
The revival in the 60's & 70's was proof the babby was not thrown out
with the bath water