Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii was a Russian photographer working in the early 20th century, producing images that were far advanced for his time. He started out as a chemist who quickly became devoted to advancing the technology of still and moving imaging techniques. Gorskii developed the medium of photography to incorporate color which was on the brink of discovery during the dawn of the century.
Tsar Nicholas II supported Gorskii when he proposed a lengthy and comprehensive documentation of the Russian empire. He worked from 1909-1915 on this photo project and the color images from these highly organized images are what he is known for today.
The Denver Post has archived a large bunch of his work on their photoblog.
What is so remarkable about the images he produced is that they have the element of color, at a time when black and white photography was just becoming widely accessible. There were others to experiment with color before him, and a plate was invented in 1907 that had sensitivity to red, green and blue light, but was not as impressive as the system Gorskii invented. He had a camera that exposed the same image on three different areas of the plate through three different lenses of red, green and blue. By combining these layers a high quality color image could be formed. Although a color print was not produced at this time, he was able to project the greyscale plates through three lenses showing a pretty accurate picture of what the subject was.
The images themselves are just as intriguing for historians as they are for artists. The Russian empire collapsed shortly after the documentation and it is remarkable to have such a vast collection of such highly realistic, visceral representation of what life was like over a century ago. Gorskii was more concerned with documentation rather than 'artistic' composition or conceptual fruition, but out of the images artists can draw inspiration. Photography itself during this time revolutionized everything about art as we know it. With technology increasing, the demand for portrait painting was diminishing. Photography is an important tool for artists that not only revolutionized realistic painting, but also gave opportunities for the artists like abstract expressionists to embrace non-realistic portrayals of subject matter. Artists weren't afraid to paint with emotions or use more experimental medium, instead of going the route of traditional and generally more acceptable mediums. The accessibility of photography aided all painters in the sketching and mock-up process, using anything from pinhole cameras for drawing or how we use digital images today. Not only did photography open up a new world in which abstraction could be a viable form of art-making, but it even introduced a new medium by which artists can express themselves to viewers; photography is a celebrated and respected process that is included in museums and art schools across the globe. Gorskii's technique of overlaying one chroma over another is similar to the way layers of paint can be made up, and a painter may take that information and use a similar approach in studio practice. A filmmaker may take the technique of projecting still images through multiple screens as a refreshing look to the past and use it as a contextual and technical starting point. Was Gorskii an artist? That is a philosophical question you can answer yourself, but most importantly the images and the technology behind them is a milestone for all types of art.
-Maret Miller
What is so remarkable about the images he produc
