Pictorialism in Spanish Photography: ‘Forgotten’ Pioneers

Abstract

This article examines the work of Pictorialist photographers in Spain, making particular reference to the photographs of Jose Ortiz-Echagiie, the Count of Ventosa, Santa María del Villa and Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (known as Kaulak). These photographers have been largely ignored, in part because of a restricted view among historians regarding the nature of photography, and in part because of ideological opposition to the style engendered by the perception that it was associated with dictatorship of General Franco. These political and aesthetic prejudices have until now prevented a proper understanding of this exceptional body of work in the history of Spanish photography. Pictorialism in fact represented the avant-garde in Spain, and the fact that it was so widely accepted for so long should be recognized as a sign of its validity and vigour.

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