Essay On William Notman

1700 Words4 Pages

Photographer to the Queen:
Subtitle
Admittedly, every artist carries the potential to influence the art community and the artistic styles of the medium in which he or she practices. Specifically, all of the Canadian artists of Canada’s art history have had a large influence on what is seen as the distinct Canadian art. One such artist is William Notman, founder and owner of the William Notman Photographic Studio in Montreal, Quebec, which opened in 1856 and serviced until 1935 when his son sold the business. A great businessman, Notman employed multiple employees in his studio, mostly other artists, which expanded worldwide to become internationally known. He also explored and developed many photographic practices and techniques, keeping track …show more content…

Furthermore, Notman co-founded the Art Association of Montreal (which is now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) in 1860, and continued to support the association in order to establish an important art society, which continues to be an important venue for art today. Focused on performing high- quality photography, William Notman employed a great influence over the Canadian art scene, encouraging the development of photography and the establishment of an art association in Montreal, which lead to his ability to influence the entire Canadian art scene for years to come.
Evidently, William Notman’s photographic ideals greatly affected the concepts of what a good photograph and a good subject should consist of, giving him a lot of influence over the development of photography in Canada. Notman, who was born in 1826, was only thirteen years old at the invention of photography in 1839 (Triggs). Thus, as Notman opened his photographic studio in 1856, the medium was still relatively new, and Notman carried many of his own ideas of what a photograph should depict, which would later influence the trends in the photographic market. Notman was careful in selecting the types and variety of services which his studio offered, paying attention to the …show more content…

These types of photos were used to create a memorable scene in which all of the subjects were in clear focus, which at the time was difficult to do if all of the subjects were photographed together at the same time (Triggs). A famous example of Notman’s composite photos, and the first containing a large number of subjects, is Skating Carnival, Victoria Rink, Montreal, (Notman, McCord Museum) taken in 1870 and containing approximately one hundred and fifty people in costume (Triggs). The photo drew in a large public audience for viewing and was highly regarded for its excellent execution, a lot of work in its day. Later, a large demand for these composite photos made them a regular service of the Notman Studio, affecting the world of photography as more photographers wanted to be able to cater to these new trends and to compete with Notman. The addition of these services to the studio increased the workload for the artists greatly, further expanding each artist’s experience in the field of photography and photo development, and in turn influencing the art world. Thus, through Notman’s work with the new style of composite photos, he had increased the demand for the new type of photograph and in turn his

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