Before the Camera

How many times a day do you take a photo? Your new haircut looks great. Click! Your dog is so cute. Click! You’re on vacation. Click! Click! Click! And then, of course, you share your photos. But what if cameras didn’t exist? How would you share your experiences with your friends? And more important, how would we document significant events in history? How would we know what was happening in other towns, states, and countries?

Before the invention of the camera, artists documented the world. And some of the most successful artists became successful because of their remarkable ability to realistically paint what they saw.

These days, it’s easy to take and share a photo. But what if phones and other cameras didn’t exist? How would we record important events?

Before cameras were invented, artists documented the world for others to see. Many artists became successful because their paintings were realistic, or true to life.

Johannes Vermeer was a well-respected artist in the mid-1600s in the Netherlands. Early in his career, he was exposed to history painting—grand scenes from history, mythology, and the Bible. But Vermeer soon began focusing on everyday scenes, presenting them in a realistic way.

In his c. 1658 Girl with a Wineglass, above, light from the window falls naturally across the scene, brightening every surface in its path—as it would in real life. Notice how Vermeer uses highlights and shadows to render the texture of the girl’s dress. You can almost feel the crinkly folds.

Vermeer’s depiction of light also helps give the scene a three-dimensional quality. The figures in the foreground, where the colors are brighter, seem to be several feet in front of the wall, which the artist painted in muted tones.

Vermeer, who was a meticulous planner, worked slowly, producing only about two paintings a year. What role do you think planning played in the development of this composition?

Johannes Vermeer was an artist in the mid-1600s in the Netherlands. When he was starting out, Vermeer saw many history paintings—scenes from history, mythology, and the Bible. But Vermeer decided to paint scenes of everyday life. He presented them in a realistic way.

Vermeer’s 1659 painting Girl with a Wineglass is shown above. Look at how light from the window falls on the scene. You can see highlights and shadows on the girl’s dress. They give the dress texture. You can almost feel the crinkly folds!

Light also helps the scene appear to be three-dimensional. In the foreground, the colors are brighter. The back of the room has darker tones. This makes the people appear to be several feet in front of the wall.

Vermeer was a careful planner. He usually finished only two paintings each year. Which elements of this painting might he have planned ahead of time?

Canaletto began his career assisting his father, who painted theatrical sets in Venice, Italy. Then around 1720, he set out on his own to become a view painter.

The Italian artist mastered perspective, showing three-dimensional space on a flat surface. Notice the edges of the buildings in his Venice: The Upper Reaches of the Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo, above. The roofs and walkways are converging lines that move toward the vanishing point at the far end of the canal. The buildings in the background appear to be smaller than those in the foreground.

Canaletto also uses atmospheric perspective. This means the objects farthest away are blurry and less vibrant than those in the foreground—mimicking the way we see objects in real life.

The artist’s precision quickly earned him patrons from England and other countries who wanted to bring paintings of Venice home to help them remember their visit.

Canaletto was an Italian artist. He helped his father paint theater sets. Around 1720, Canaletto began to paint grand views. He mastered perspective. That’s when an image on a flat surface appears to be three-dimensional.

You can see this in his painting shown above. The roofs and walkways have lines that converge, or come together. They move toward a vanishing point at the far end of the canal. The buildings in the background look smaller than those in the foreground.

Canaletto also uses atmospheric perspective. This means that things that are far away are blurry and dull.

The artist’s skill at perspective made him popular. Visitors from other countries bought his paintings to help them remember Venice.

William Michael Harnett is one of the greatest trompe l’oeil artists of the 19th century. The French term translates to “trick the eye,” and the goal is to create the illusion that painted objects are real.

In his 1888 Still Life—Violin and Music, above, Harnett uses perspective, highlights, and shadows to make the violin and other objects appear to be three-dimensional, as if they are hanging on nails hammered into a board. Notice how there appears to be space between the horseshoe and the panel behind it. And the corner of the sheet music is torn, lifting away from the wood.

Some of Harnett’s works are so realistic that people would actually reach toward the two-dimensional canvas to touch the painted objects, not believing they weren’t real. During his lifetime, Harnett’s works were popular with the general public. But many art critics dismissed them as gimmicky. Starting around the mid-1900s though, critics acknowledged the skill needed to make paintings as realistic as Harnett’s. What do you think?

William Michael Harnett is known for a style called trompe l’oeil (trawmp-LOI). The term means “trick the eye.” The goal is to create the illusion that painted objects are real.

Harnett does this in his 1888 painting Still Life—Violin and Music, above. He uses perspective, highlights, and shadows to make objects seem three-dimensional. There’s space between the horseshoe and the board. And the corner of the sheet music seems folded.

Some of Harnett’s works tricked viewers. People tried to touch the painted objects, thinking they were real. Harnett’s works were popular during his lifetime. But most critics viewed them as a gimmick, or not serious. In the mid-1900s, critics began to recognize the painter’s skill!