Photography / Painting — 19th Century. From Plot to Content

Photography today is a universal language of communication, it is extremely widespread, and we cannot conceive of communication without photographs. But where did it all begin? It is still difficult to say whose invention laid the foundation for photography. The first image was obtained in the 1820s. Initially, these images were copies of engravings. It was not entirely clear how to use it, what it should be applied to. But it quickly became evident that this is a unique technology needed in science and the understanding of the world. From the camera obscura to silver chloride, from Niépce to the inventor of the daguerreotype and selfies — you will be unbeatable in the history of art that has never been so relevant. Olga Averyanova, head of the photography department at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, invites us on a journey through the 19th century to delve into the roots of our visual culture.