Collection Online as of August 11, 2022
Neu-Birnau
Ilse Bing
(American, 1899-1998)
Gelatin silver print
Gift of George Stephanopoulos 2011.229
© Estate of Ilse Bing
Location
not on view
Description
This entryway is part of Neu-Birnau, a small pilgrimage church built in 1745–51 on the Austrian shore of Lake Constance. The dramatic framing of the water through the door and the print’s soft focus and warm tones mimic the aesthetic of Pictorialism, a turn-of-the-20th-century photographic style that argued for the acceptance of photography as a fine art. By 1929 that style had been superseded in fine art photography circles by the modernist aesthetic, which called for sharp focus, geometric compositions, and a more neutral, gray palette.
Ilse Bing
Ilse Bing (American, b. Germany, 1899-1998). Ilse Bing became interested in photography while pursuing a doctoral degree in art history at Frankfurt University. Around 1927-28 she began taking photographs to illustrate her dissertation and in 1930 decided to move to Paris to look for freelance assignments. Using the new 35mm Leica camera, she worked as a fashion, portrait, and architectural photographer, as well as a photojournalist. During her years in Paris she took part in numerous exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art's Photography 1839-1937 show in New York. In 1941 Bing and her husband immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. In New York she began to work on a different scale, using the larger-format Rolleiflex camera as well as electronic flash. By 1957 she was working exclusively in color. Two years later Bing gave up photography to concentrate on painting and poetry.