MIA Exhibits American Naturalistic Photography

Sunday, 30 March 2008 00:16

Minneapolis, MN - This exhibition was organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) and comprises 90 photographs, drawn largely from the permanent collection. Among those represented are Edward Curtis, Rudolf Eickemeyer, Alfred Stieglitz, and Doris Ulmann. The show is accompanied by the first major book on the subject and will travel to museums in University Park, Pennsylvania, and Roanoke, Virginia. On view Saturday, May 3, 2008—Sunday, September 7, 2008.

Peter Henry Emerson (1856-1936) was a leading nineteenth-century English photographer who spearheaded a style he termed “naturalistic photography.” He argued for photography as a fine art, encouraged his colleagues to use nature as their standard, and introduced the theory of “differential focusing,” whereby the main subject was in focus and everything else fell off into moderate softness.

Many young Americans admired Emerson’s work, forming a movement of naturalistic photography in this country that lasted from the 1890s to about 1930. Like Emerson, they emphasized the beauty of Mother Nature and humankind’s harmony with her. They photographed the land in all its seasons, as well as the devoted individuals who lived on and off it.

The MIA is Minnesota's largest art educator. More than half-a-million people visit the museum each year. A hundred thousand more are reached through the museum's Art Adventure program for elementary school children. The museum's free general-admission policy, public programs, classes for children and adults, and award-winning interactive media programs have helped to broaden and deepen this museum's roots in the communities it serves. The MIA's permanent collection has grown from eight hundred works of art to around eighty thousand objects. The collection includes world-famous works that embody the highest levels of artistic achievement, spanning five thousand years and representing the world's diverse cultures across all continents.  Visit : http://www.artsmia.org/