READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 in pages 5 and 6.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography emerged as part of a cluster of technical inventions and

innovations around the middle of the nineteenth century. Ha/led as a
great technological invention, it immediately became the subject of
debates concerning its aesthetic status and soda uses

A Central to the nineteenth-century debate about the nature of photography as a

new technology was the question as to how far it could be considered as art. It
was celebrated for its putative ability to produce accurate images of what was in
front of the camera's lens: images which were seen as being mechanically
produced and thus free of the selective discriminations of the human eye and
hand. On precisely the same grounds, the medium was often regarded as falling
outside the realm of art as its assumed power of accurate, dispassionate
recording appeared to leave no room for the artist's compositional creativity.

B Debates concerning the status of photography as art continued to take place in

periodicals throughout the nineteenth century. The French poet Baudelalre linked
'the invasion of photography and the great industrial madness of today' and
asserted that if photography is allowed to deputise for art in some of arts
activities, it will not be long before it has supplanted or corrupted art altogether. In
his view, photography's only function was to support intellectual enquiry.

C Baudelaire was not alone in this view. Absolute material accuracy was seen as
the hallmark of photography, and the nineteenth-century desire to explore, record
and catalogue human experience, both at home and overseas, encouraged
people lo emphasise photography as a method of naturalistic documentation,
rather than any type of art form.

D Photographers responded to criticisms of this kind in two ways: either they

accepted that photography was something different from art and sought to
discover what the intrinsic properties of the medium were, or they pointed out
that photography was more than a mechanical form of image-making, that it
could be worked on and contrived so as to produce pictures which in some ways
resembled paintings. 'Pictorial' photography from the 1850s onwards sought to
overcome the problems of photography by careful arrangement of all the
elements of the composition and by reducing the signifiers of technological
production within the photograph. For example, they ensured that the image was
somewhat blurred: they made pictures of allegorical subjects, including religious
scenes, and those who worked with the gum bichromate process scratched their
prints in an effort to imitate something of the appearance of a canvas.
 In the other camp were those photographers who celebrated the qualities
Of straight photo- graphy (with an emphasis upon direct documentary typical
Of the Modern period in American photography)and did not want to treat the
medium as a kind of monochrome painting. They were interested in
photography's ability to provide apparently accuratem records of the visual
world and tried to give their images the formal status and finish of paintings
while concentrating their attention on its intrinsic quality.

Photography in Britain and France was initially heralded for its technical
recording abilities. With few exceptions, the emphasis was on picture-taking
rather than picture- making-to echo a distinction made by Margaret Harker. She
suggests that the development of the art of photography in the late 1850s can be
partly accounted for through the increasing involvement of people trained as
artists. They brought with them a concern for form and composition and, in
particular, the use of light. Photography came to encroach very directly on genres
of painting such as portraiture, not only taking over some of the work of painters,
but also extending their work. For instance, while few could afford the time and
cost of sitting for a painted portrait, the studio photographer could offer a similar
service more cheaply. As such, portraiture became more democratically
available. This did not prevent a continuing hierarchy: the painted portrait was
still commissioned by the wealthy and the aristocracy. But it did allow a greater
number of people the status of seeing themselves pictured.

G Furthermore, photography provoked artists to re-examine the nature and

potential of paint as a particular medium. Photography appeared to be more
successful than painting in capturing likenesses. It had a sense of
instantaneousness that painting lacked. It has been suggested that photography
encouraged Impressionist painters to experiment with manners of painting which
could also capture a sense of the moment, and the passage of light. It is a truism
that photography released painting from its responsibility for literal depiction,
allowing it to become more experimental. However, the developing relationship
between the two was considerably more symbiotic.

Another respect in which photography may be said to have extended art was in
its role as the re-presenter of art objects, It was no longer necessary to travel to
Florence to see paintings of the Medics, or to Egypt to contemplate classical
architecture or artefacts; you could visit an exhibition and view reproductions.
Questions 14•17

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A- H, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14 fears voiced about the potential threat posed to art by photography

15 the skills of artists being used in photography

16 the attempts of photographers to imitate art

17 the influence of photography on artists and painting

Questions 18·22

Complete the summary of paragraphs D and E below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from paragraph D or E for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.

Photographers' responses to criticism

In response to the suggestion that photography could not be considered an art form
photographer
acted in two ways. Some of them rejected this criticism, certain that they could create
pictures similar to18 did this by carefully selling up the different parts of the
19 .......... before taking the photograph. Other things they did included causing the
picture to be rather 20 ..........,and some who wanted to try to make the print look like a
canvas even 21 .......... their photographs. Others were anxious that their work should
not be looked upon as some sort of 22 ...........painting and were much more
concerned with the fact that the camera seemed to be able to produce a more accurate
representation of what they could see around them.
Questions 23-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2 ?

In boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet, write

TRURE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

23 In the 1850s, trained artists were reluctant to take up photography.

24 Many photographers felt the need to learn certain techniques from taking art
courses.

25 Photography brought the demand for portrait painting to an end.

26 With the advent of photography. some painters no longer concerned themselves

with accuracy.
Nii}ffldM Questions 1 4171
-

Q11estio11s14-17
14 Answrr:8
Location: Pnragra11l1 B
"Tlie FreJJc/1 11oet B1111de/aire li11ked 'tl,e invnsion of photograp/1y m,d t/1r greut
i11d11striul mad11ess of todny' a11d asserted tlmt if photography is ullowed to deputise
for url in some of arts activities, it will 11ot be long before it has s11ppla11ted or
corr1111ted urt ultogetl,er."

15 Answer:F
Location: Pnragrap/1 F
"She suggests t/111/ the developme11t of the art of plwtography ill the late1850s can be
partly accmmtedfor tliro11gh the illcreasiug i11volveme11t of people trained as artists.
They brought with them a co11cemfor form n11d compositio11 and, in partic11/ar, tire use
of liglrt."

16 A11swer:D
Location: Paragrnp/1 D
"... they made pictures of allegorical subjects, illc/11di11g religious scenes, and those wilo
W<Jrked wit/1 the gum bichromate process scratched their prints i11 mi effort to imitate
somet/1illg of tl,e n1111earaJ1ce of u canvns."

17 A11swer: G
Location: Pnragrap/1 G
"It /iad a sense of i11strmla11eo11s11ess that pai1rti11g Jacked. rt /,as bee// s11ggested tl,at
photography e11co11raged impressionist painters to experi111e11t with manners of
11aiJ1ti11g w/1ic/1 could ulso ca11t11re a sense of t/1e moment, mrd tl1e pnssage of lig/1/."
Q11estio11s18-22
18 A11swer:pai11tfogs
Location: Paragrapl, D
" ... tlwy pointed out tlmt photograp/1y was more limn a meclmnicalform ofimage-making, that
it could br workrd on a11d contrived so as to produce pictures w/1ich i11 some ways resembled
paiutings."

19 A11swcr:compositio11
Location:Paragmp/1 D
'"Pictorial' photographyfrom Ille 1850s ouwards sor1gl1t to overcome tile problems of
plwtograpl1y by carrf11/ arrangement of all the elements of Ille composition .. "

20 Answer:blllrrcd
Location:Pnragrnpl, D
"For example, they ensured that the image- was som,:w/mt blltrred:.

21 A11swer:scratcl1ed
Location: Pnragrap/1 D
"... tlwse who worked will, the g11m bicliromale process scratcl1ed their prints in n11 effort to
imitate sometlting of t/1e nppearance of a cmivns."

22 A1Jswcr:1110110chro111e
Location; Pnragrapl, E
"/11 the other ca111p were f/wse plwtographers who celrbratrd the qualities of slraight
photoxrap/1y (witlr an emphasis r1po11 direct doc11mentary lypica/ of the Modern period in
American plwtograp/1y) a11d did 110/ wmit lo treat the medium ns a kind of mono cl1r ome
pai11ti11g."
Q11estio,,s2J-26
23 A11swer: FALSE
Localio11: Pnragrapl, F
"Sire suggests that t/,e dcvelop111e11t of tl,e art of p/10tograp/1y ill tl,e lnte 1850s cau be
partly accounted for through tire i11creasi11g involvement of people trained ns artists.
They brought wit/1 them n co11cem for fon11 a11d compositio11 and, in particular, t/1e use
of light."

24 A11swer: NOT GIVEN

Location: No i11formatio11

25 A11swer: FALSE
Location: Pnragrap/1 F
"This did not prevent n co11ti,,11i11g l1ierarchy: the painted portrait was still
commissioned by t/1e wenlthy and the aristocracy."

26 Answer: TRUE
Location: Pnragrap/1 G
"It is n tniism that plrotograpliy released pai11H11gfrom its respo11sibilityforlitera/
depiction, allowing it to become more experimental."