Out of the Box

By Elin Spring

Have you been noticing a convergence of photography with other art forms lately? There seems no end to the expressive stitching, drawing, collaging, and painting – to name a few – that photographers are combining with both contemporary and ancient printing techniques. This trend makes all the more timely a small but significant show on photographs made without using a camera at the newly re-opened Norton Museum in Palm Beach. “Out of the Box: Camera-Less Photography” will be on view through June 18^th, 2019.

“Tetrarch, 2008” Silver dye bleach (Cibachrome) print by Christopher Bucklow, Courtesy of the artist and Norton Museum, Palm Beach.

“Iris Hispanica, 1990”, Cyanotype and photogram on light-sensitized linen by Joan Fontcuberta, Courtesy of the artist and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

When photography was born in the 1830’s, photographers like William Henry Fox Talbot and Anna Atkins created images using light without any camera at all. Ever since, the popularity of coating papers, fabrics and objects with light sensitive emulsions to make what are most commonly known as photograms has waxed and waned. Today, we are seeing a resurgence of the form, riding a wave of experimentation with techniques and materials that contributes to “the general blurring of the divisions between photography and the other visual arts,” as exhibit curator Tim Wride notes.

“Lace, before February 1845”, Photogenic drawing negative by William Henry Fox Talbot, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach.

“Le Songeur (The Dreamer), 1854”, Carbon print (cliché verre) by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach.

“Brachythecium reflexum Br. & Sch., circa 1870”, Cyanotype by unknown 19th century English artist, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

The Norton’s exhibit honors the roots of camera-less photography, beginning with the inclusion of the beautifully detailed and ethereal “Lace” by William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of photography. Created “before February 1845”, it is the oldest object in the Norton’s photography collection. There are some other rare samples by early practitioners, such as French painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s moody Carbon print (cliché verre), “Le Songeur (The Dreamer)” from 1854. A delicate, cluttered cyanotype of a common moss by an “unkown 19^th century English photographer” alludes to the far more dexterous and stunning cyanotypes by botanist photographer Anna Atkins (alas, no originals attributed to her).

“Rayograph, 1922, printed 1978” gelatin silver print by Man Ray, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“Compass and Spots, circa 1939”, gelatin silver print by Gyorgy Kepes, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“Abstraction (Photogenic), circa 1946”, gelatin silver print by Lotte Jacobi, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

The exhibit is limited in scope but still manages to trace surges of enthusiasm for camera-less photography both in the U.S. and abroad. In a burst of creative interest leading into and on the heels of WWII, artists like Man Ray, Gyorgy Kepes and Lotte Jacobi experimented with purposely mundane, “democratic” objects like strainers, compasses and crumpled cellophane to create graphically robust gelatin silver photograms. These older works offer wonderful historical context but also the fairly unexpected effect of making the contemporary prints pop with excitement.

“Orange Delight, 2018” Cyanotype and gum bichromate print by Paula Riff, Courtesy of the artist and Norton Museum, Palm Beach.

“Ginko Leaves, 2018”, Cyanotype artist’s book by Diana Bloomfield, Courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“After Electric Dress B, Positive 4, 2001”, Four toned gelatin silver prints by Kunié Sugiura, Courtesy of the artist and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

Installation view of “Crush and Pull, 2018”, Six dye diffusion (Polaroid) positive prints RBGYMC; six dye diffusion (Polaroid) negative prints RGBYMC by Ellen Carey, Courtesy of the artist and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

The contemporary photographers’ variety of techniques and their spectacular effects is a tribute to the creative spirit. With a decided emphasis on American artists, I was pleased to note an unusual number of works by women, such as Paula Riff’s sophisticated, playful “Orange Delight”, Diana Bloomfield’s luscious, sculptural “Ginko Leaves”, Kunié Sugiura’s evanescent and uplifting “After Electric Dress B, Positive 4,” composed of four toned gelatin silver prints, and Ellen Carey’s dazzling installation, “Crush and Pull”, blending instant Polaroid technology and traditional photograms in a jubilation of color and form.

“Untitled (Coals), 1996” Gelatin silver print by Marco Breuer Courtesy of the artist, Yossi Milo Gallery, NY and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“Untitled, 1961”, Gelatin silver print by Chargesheimer, Courtesy of the Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“Ouroboros 10, 2017”, Gelatin silver print by Christopher Colville, Courtesy of the artist, Rick Wester Fine Art, NY and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

“Untitled, 1998”, Silver dye bleach (Cibachrome) print by Adam Fuss, Courtesy of the artist, Cheim & Read, NY and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).

The show emphasizes variety but also highlights some instances of creative continuity. Using related techniques of applying effects directly to photographic paper, Marco Breuer’s serendipitous experimentation with burning coals appears in his dense, stirring gelatin silver “chemigram” along with artistic forebear Chargesheimer’s whimsical work with chemicals and inventive newcomer Christopher Colville’s nuanced, graceful “Ouroboros 10” created with fire. Happily, there are two stunning works by trailblazer Adam Fuss, credited by curator Tim Wride with leading the renaissance in current photograms seen throughout the show. “Out of the Box” celebrates both the history and the resurgence of camera-less photography in a captivating exhibit that exemplifies the prevailing trend of blending photography with other art forms.

For more information about this exhibit, go to: https://www.norton.org/exhibitions/out-of-the-box

Feature Image: “Untitled, 1992”, Silver dye bleach (Cibachrome) print by Adam Fuss, Courtesy of the artist, Cheim & Read, NY and Norton Museum, Palm Beach (installation photo by Elin Spring, with apologies).