The Decontextualisation of the Object and the Movement of the Subject (A. Siskind, A. Müller-Pohle & F. M. Neüsuss )

The development of photography in the 19th century had implications for the evolution of the concept and abstract aesthetic (1). In the 20th century, many photographic authors argued for a specific language of photography that went beyond painting and photography. The control of maximum sharpness, or the lack of it, was essential in the search for a new visual language. Some explored the decontextualisation (2) of the actual image, while others worked on the deconstruction (3) of photography from the technical processes of capture.

Weston and Siskind, for example, fragmented the real scenes with maximum sharpness. Through light and framing, Weston (4) transformed a pepper into a sculptural silhouette. Siskind composed abstractions out of pieces of walls, with images of great tonal contrast and sharply defined lines.

Neusüs and Müller-Pohle, for instance, blurred the edges of the photographed subjects. Neusüs produced “dreamy faces” by superimposing multiple images. Müller-Pohle converted each image point into a line by randomly shifting the camera during the photographic capture.