Page 29 - Studio-International-January-1974

from Burnet's 'Treatise on Painting', an style studies of farm labourers and marsh men lights' and attacked the 'daubs in oil of well-
outmoded guide already considered irrelevant at work. Reflecting much of Emerson's behaved dogs, wooden horses, theatrical
by the art community). Emerson resolved to admiration for painters such as Bastien-Lepage shepherds, tin sheep, red fields, all painted with
attack this misdirection and, single-handed if and Jean Francois Millet, the pictures had a an outline and rigidity that would delight the
necessary, set photography back on the true path direct, if slightly romantic, reality about them stencil-plate worker'. Art was enslaved, he
by establishing a sound and scientific analysis of and seemed incongruous against the posed and argued, except when the artist went to nature for
its strengths and unique qualities. contrived efforts of the Pictorialists'. his subject matter. 'The clever Dutch painters
During the time that he had spent on these This portfolio was the first of a volley that were the first to get a true inkling — Hobbema,
investigations Emerson had moved to Emerson fired at his fellow photographers : Ruysdael and others went to nature, but they
Southwold in East Anglia where he befriended a magazine articles, letters and lectures followed were caught by conventionality and went in for
little known but highly articulate painter of the as he immersed himself in a political battle to beautified nature — a rather dangerous
`Naturalistic' school, Thomas F. Goodall. preserve the purity of photography. His lectures experiment. In England, John Constable struck
Goodall's understanding of the relationship that were popular, if controversial; in them he aside and studied nature, but not with his whole
existed between photography and the other attempted to explain the fallacy of the soul. A few of his works went to Paris and were
visual arts seemed a touchstone in Emerson's Pictorialists' doctrine and, in particular, the much admired. Rousseau followed in
development as a photographer, and together false nature of their understanding of art. To a Constable's steps, and all honour to the man; he
they worked on a portfolio of pictures Life and packed room at the Priory Hall in Great formed an epoch. Then came Corot, then Jean
Landscape on the Norfolk Broads which Yarmouth in March 1886 he pointed out the Francois Millet, Bastien-Lepage. From such as
combined photographs of the wild, sweeping futility of 'the prettiest water colours in all their these a whole host of men in France, England
East Anglian landscape with documentary- meretricious pinks, blues, greens and false and America have learnt their lesson. Many of

i886

i886

(Above) J. F. Millet
In the Vineyard
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
(Right) J. F. Millet
Angelus 1858-9
Louvre, Paris

19