Photography Exhibition: The National Gallery of Art - In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes

The National Gallery of Art has an extensive collection of photographic images, however, most are not regularly on display. This exhibition, In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes, will take 90 photographs from its permanent collection. It will be a treat to see them. 

This exhibition will run from October 25^th through March 4, 2010

This exhibition chronicles the major technological developments in photographic processes from the origins of the medium until the advent of digital photography. Drawn from the Gallery's permanent collection, the exhibition is organized chronologically and includes some 90 photographs that range from an early photogenic drawing by William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of photography, to Polaroid prints by Andy Warhol. Superb examples of the major photographic processes, including salted paper, albumen, gelatin silver, and chromogenic prints, will be on view, along with examples of photomechanical processes such as photogravure and halftone. The selections in the exhibition will highlight the artistic vitality and technological virtuosity of the medium's practitioners and demonstrate the many factors—not only the choice of process, but also scale, tone, cropping, enlarging, and paper selection—that shape the aesthetic quality and meaning of a photograph.

I don’t know anyone serious about photography, as a craft or fine art, who isn’t a student of its history. There is much we can learn from the masters of early photography.

I think this is a “not to miss” exhibition. I know I’ll be visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC prior to the end of the year to visit this exhibition, and study the examples displayed. I’m excited that there will be a book published in association with this exhibition. It has the potential to be a classic. I will review it late in the year.

As I travel, I love seeing the work of other photographers as I hope you do. If you know of a new photographic exhibition which you think the Blog should publicize, please contact me.