Art, exhibition

The exhibition Capturing the Moment explores the relationship between painting and photography through a selection of modern and contemporary art. The exhibition does not attempt to provide a definitive account of the dialogue between these two media, but rather invites visitors to explore the different ways in which artists have used these mediums to capture moments in time.

The exhibition is divided into seven main rooms called sections: "Painting in the Time of Photography" , "Tensions", “Painting into Photography”, “Photography as Painting”, “Capturing History”, “Convergence”, and “Towards the Digital”.

The first section explores how the invention of photography in the 19th century challenged the traditional role of painting as a medium for capturing reality. Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Lucian Freud responded to this challenge by developing new styles and techniques that allowed them to express their own unique vision of the world.

The second section of the exhibition focuses on the tensions that exist between painting and photography. While both mediums can be used to capture a moment in time, they do so in very different ways. Photography is a mechanical process that captures an image with a camera, while painting is a more subjective process that allows the artist to manipulate the image to create a desired effect.

*Study for a Pope VI*, Francis Bacon, 1961

In the third room, Jeff Wall a Canadian photographer who is known for his large-scale, staged photographs that often depict scenes of everyday life. Wall's work often blurs the lines between truth and fiction, and he has been praised for his ability to create images that are both realistic and surreal.

Wall's work is often inspired by cinema, and he has said that he sees photography as a "theatrical medium." He often uses props, costumes, and actors to create his photographs, and he often stages his photographs in public spaces. This gives his work a sense of realism, but it also makes it clear that his photographs are not simply documentary records of reality.

Wall's work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, and he has won numerous awards, including the Hasselblad Award and the Governor General's Award. He is considered one of the most important photographers working today.

*A Sudden Gust of Wind*, Jeff Wall, 1993

The forth room draw on the traditions of painting, using photographic image to propose new ways of looking. Artists such as Pushpamala N., Andreas Gursky and Louise Lawler manipulate their photographs in different ways to explore the constructed nature of image-making. A question what is a truthful representation of reality is: can an image convey the whole picture? This room consists the act of looking: at images, at ourselves and at world. In Struth’s photographs, visitors gaze at paintings that, in turn, look at us. What are they seeing?

In the fifth room, artists Gerhard Richter and Wilhelm Sasnal explore the relationship between photography and painting. They both make paintings that are copies of photographs, but they do so in different ways. Richter's paintings are often blurry and abstract, while Sasnal's paintings are more realistic.

This difference in style reflects the different ways that the two artists see the world. Richter sees the world as a complex and fragmented place, while Sasnal sees the world as a more concrete and objective place.

The paintings in this room also raise questions about the nature of history. We often think of photographs as objective records of events, but Richter and Sasnal's paintings show that photographs can be just as subjective as paintings.

The clarity of the photographic lens can obscure as much as it reveals. The artists in this room challenge us to think about the ways in which we see the world, and the ways in which we remember history.

The Convergence room in the Capturing the Moment exhibition is a fascinating exploration of the relationship between painting, photography and pop art. The room features works by some of the most important artists of the 20th century, including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Pauline Boty and Richard Hamilton.

The works in this room are all united by their exploration of the ways in which images can be used to communicate ideas and emotions. Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans is a classic example of pop art, using a mass-produced image to create a work of art that is both familiar and challenging. Rauschenberg's Combine paintings are a more experimental form of art, combining painting, photography, and collage to create works that are both visually arresting and intellectually stimulating. Boty's My Marilyn is a feminist take on the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, while Hamilton's ‘Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?’ is a prescient exploration of the role of advertising in our lives.

The Towards the Digital room is a great way to explore ways in which digital technology has transformed the art of painting. The room features works by three contemporary artists who are all using digital technology in different ways to create their paintings.

Lorna Simpson is a New York-based artist who is known for her work that explores issues of race, gender, and identity. In her paintings, Simpson often uses digital technology to create collages of images and text. Her work in this show includes a painting called "Portrait of a Young Woman" (2015), which is a collage of a photograph of a young woman and a text that reads "I am not your negro."

Salman Toor is a Pakistani-American artist who is known for his paintings of everyday life in Pakistan. Toor's paintings are often humorous and satirical, and he often uses digital technology to create vibrant and colorful images. His work in this room includes a painting called "The New Lahore" (2017), which is a depiction of a bustling city street in Pakistan.

Christina Quarles is an American artist who is known for her paintings of black women. Quarles' paintings are often abstract and expressionistic, and she often uses digital technology to create distorted and fragmented images. Her work in the Towards the Digital room includes a painting called "Untitled (Self-Portrait)" (2018), which is a large-scale painting of a black woman's face.

The exhibition Capturing the Moment provides a fascinating overview of the relationship between painting and photography. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the history of art or the creative process.

List of artists

MICHAEL ARMITAGE

FRANCIS BACON

GEORG BASELITZ

PAULINE BOTY

LISA BRICE

CECILY BROWN

MIRIAM CAHN

GEORGE CONDO

NJIDEKA AKUNYILI CROSBY

JOHN CURRIN

PETER DOIG

MARLENE DUMAS

JANA FULER

LUCIAN FREUD

ANDREAS GURSKY

RICHARD HAMILTON

DAVID HOCKNEY

CANDIDA HOFER

DOROTHEA LANGE

LOUISE LAWLER

MARWAN

ALICE NEEL

PAULINA OLOWSKA

LAURA OWENS

PABLO PICASSO

PUSHPAMALA N.

CHRISTINA QUARLES

ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

PAULA REGO

GERHARD RICHTER

WILHELM SASNAL

JOAN SEMMEL

LORNA SIMPSON

THOMAS STRUTH

HIROSHI SUGIMOTO

SALMAN TOOR

LUC TUYMANS

JEFF WALL

ANDY WARHOL

Capturing Time: History of Photography and Painting at Tate Modern

Art, exhibition

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