Chapter V Decorative Art
Decorative art.
By the term “decorative,” we mean the ornamentation of anything constructed for some useful or special purpose as opposed to the ornamentation whose object is to please per se. Thus, though both sculpture and easel pictures are decorative in one sense, they are executed with no consideration or regard for other purposes than to please. As we have before shown, the humblest of the decorative arts may be raised to the dignity of a fine art if an artist takes the work in hand and succeeds, or the work may degenerate into mere craftsman’s work. For decorative purposes, the various methods are modified and adapted to the important considerations of the use and fitness of the object or place decorated. Thus no good artist would paint a finished and studied landscape on a dado, he would paint the scene flat, and colour it in appropriate harmony with surrounding objects, for that is the aim; and a workman not an artist would, of course, painfully elaborate and finish it so that it was neither a decorative work nor a painting in the ordinary sense. |Naturalism in decorative art.| In all good decorative work the same old story of naturalism holds good; all the best decorative work we have seen was suggested by nature, and though, of course, it is beyond the scope of decorative art to “copy nature,” as superficial folk say, yet all patterns and forms and harmonies should be suggested by nature. We have seen harmonies of sea-weed and sand which would have made a beautiful colour scheme for decorative work. The best decorative work has always been suggested by nature; geometrical patterns being taken from crystals, microscopic drawings of vegetable cells, &c.
Photography as applied to decorative art.
However, we must omit a general discussion of this interesting subject, for we are here only concerned with its photographic side. We are not aware that this application of decorative art has ever received much attention; and when we mention transparencies and enamels, we have said all that has been done towards employing photography decoratively. By enamels, of course, is not understood those glossed and raised productions on paper, which by some extraordinary blunder have been erroneously called enamels.
Principles.
Now the photographer, who studies and hopes to excel at decorative photography, must remember that he must work on the same general principles as he does in producing pictures, that is, he must pay attention, in a broad way, to the tone of the room, to effects of contrast, to harmonies, to the effect of artificial lights and of complementary colours, and above all to naturalism. Thus a delicate landscape must not be enamelled on a tea-cup, for it is obviously false in principle to place a picture on a curved surface. Again, a palmetto leaf must not be burned into the tiles of a fireplace, the two are incongruous and incompatible. Taste and a regard for truth should govern all such work.
We will now briefly enumerate the uses to which photography might be put in decoration.
FOR PANELLING AND FRIEZES.
Panelling and friezes.
Much might be done in this direction by an appropriate choice of subject. For panels bits of landscape of strongly marked types, sea pieces, dead game, and plants might be admirably done. By landscapes of strongly marked type, we mean such things as a dead or leafless tree overhanging a pond, a pollarded willow in winter, and like subjects, where the elements are few, the composition simple, and where there are no subtle atmospheric effects. For this work the subject must be expressed with great terseness and directness, for the form is what is required, not subtlety of tone or mystery. A group of dead mallard or teal, or an arrangement of bulrushes and water-lilies, are all suitable and admirable subjects. |Negatives.| Negatives for this class of work should be rather dense, and in some cases they may be as sharply focussed as possible, it being remembered that for form (diagrammatic form) decision is what is required. There are certain subjects, however, which will bear being only just suggested, such as bulrushes, reeds, &c., which are full of character in themselves. These objects should be photographed against flat-tinted backgrounds, the colour chosen being ruled by the colour of the furniture of the room. |Red carbon.| The best method of procedure would be to sensitize the panel and print directly on to it by the platinotype process, or perhaps by some of the carbon processes, red carbon being especially suitable for this work. The Platinotype Company give directions for sensitizing various surfaces, all of which can be obtained from their offices in Southampton Row, High Holborn.
Friezes.
For friezes, beautiful arrangements could be made of suitably draped figures of girls, of athletes, and of animals, the draped figures being in white, taken against a black background. These subjects printed in red carbon would look admirable if properly arranged. Enlargements could be used in these cases, as it does not matter if the original negatives are made microscopically sharp. Various subjects and methods of treatment will suggest themselves to the thoughtful and artistic student.
Tiles.
We cannot help thinking there is a field for the photographic decoration of tiles. For this purpose, as they are low down and seen close to, tone pictures might be used; but any quality of landscape would not be admissible for this work. Mr. Henderson’s method of enamelling is fully given in the late Baden-Pritchard’s “Studios of Europe.” These tiles would have to be cautiously used.
Windows.
There is little or nothing to be done in the decoration of windows by photography. Of course, transparencies will immediately suggest themselves, but they, like modern glass painting, are false art. The first requisite of glass painting is that all the light possible shall pass through the pane, and that the colours shall be flat. Modern window-painters overstep the limits of the art, and try to render tone as well, the result being bad artistically and bad decoratively, as utility is affected. Glass transparencies and opals are, to our mind, worthless for decorative purposes, and should not be encouraged.
Enamels.
M. Lafon de Camarsac was the first to apply photography to porcelain work, in the year 1854. He worked with colours and produced some marvellous results, applying gold, silver, and various pigments in this way. His method was used for producing enamels for jewellery, but, of course, such things could be utilized in decorative work. But to produce pictures on tea-cups, saucers, brooches, &c., seems to us, against all principles of truth. We think that with great care and taste this class of work might be artistically utilized in decorative art, but none but an artist must attempt it. So we shall give Poitevin’s method.
Poitevin’s method.
A positive on glass is obtained, and a glass plate is coated with gum sensitized with bi-chromate of potash. The positive is then placed in contact with the prepared plate and exposed to the light, the result being invisible as in carbon printing. A very fine hair sieve is now taken, and dry powdered charcoal is sifted over the coated plate, and it will be found that the charcoal adheres to the parts acted upon by light. Thus is produced a delicate portrait in as perfect tone as the original. This portrait is temporarily secured by brushing it over with collodion. The collodion film has now to be separated by delicate knives, and it brings away with it the charcoal picture. This film is next placed on a white enamelled copper plate, which plates are bought ready prepared, and a fixing paste (that used by ceramic painters being employed) is spread with a brush over the enamel. This paste combines with the charcoal image. All is now ready for placing in the enamelling furnace, when vitrification takes place, and all the organic bodies are destroyed, the vitrified charcoal image alone remaining. We think that with taste even china services might be decorated by means of photography. At any rate there is a wide field for any one with taste and feeling.
Wall-papers and hangings.
We do not know whether or not photography has been applied to the manufacture of either of these materials, but there is wide scope for it. It must be remembered, however, that definite patterns are obtrusive and undesirable. A rather monotonous geometrical pattern is required, the suggestion, however, coming from nature. Thus a good pattern could be obtained from a transverse section of a rose-bud, or from various seed-cases, such as those of the convolvulus and rose. Histological specimens also, and desmids and diatoms, all suggest beautiful and varied forms of geometrical patterns. This has often occurred to us when examining the wonderfully varied and beautiful forms of the diatom family. It would, it seems to us, be very easy with multiplying backs to get large numbers of a form on one plate, and then to reproduce them by cheap photo-mechanical means, and though we have never yet heard of photographic wall-papers, yet there is no reason why they should not be manufactured, if made artistically.
D’Oyleys.
For hangings these same patterns might be woven in or even printed directly upon the materials, by the platinotype process. The company who brought forward that process keep prepared nainsook, why not other materials? For small things, such as d’Oyleys, an endless and pleasing variety might be introduced.
In short, photography can and should be made amenable to the principles of decorative art, and employed legitimately in thousands of ways; but the student must never forget that he must rigidly and resolutely keep within the bounds of his art, which bounds we have briefly indicated here. Common sense, taste, and study are his best safe-guards. In all attempts, however, let him go to nature for his suggestions; she, if he be humble and patient, will not be less lavish to him than to the painter. So we find ourselves at the end of this chapter, and our considerations on photography as applied to decorative art lead us to conclude that the form in which it is at present chiefly applied, i.e. transparencies, is false in principle, and therefore undesirable. We felt this long before we studied art at all, and although we made many opals and transparencies at one time, we soon gave them up as vanity and foolishness. Those, however, who with training and artistic feeling care to explore the undeveloped fields above indicated, will be sure to find many new treasures.