Facing an Alois Beer’s photography, we can find multiple readings. At a
first look, those images, which gather everyday life or monumental
places of the Spain of 1900, are presented to us like reliable
witnesses of their time. They are messengers of a time that appears
surprisingly alive one hundred years after. Such it is the clarity and
the technical perfection they emanate.
At second look, we can go beyond the simple contemplation of the images, and think about the context of where they were created, paying attention to the marketing demands and the entertainment means of a society increasingly interested in looking for new horizons for its daily life and entirely devoted to the technical advances available to them.
At that time, photography had transformed from being a rarity, the artistic experiment of only a very few, to becoming a solid industry available to all. The technical advances enabled large scale reproduction of images resulting in an intense commercial activity. At the same time, the vigorous middle class felt the need for spreading its culture and knowledge. The closeness to the romantic heritage, the desire to travel and taste different cultures and the curiosity to contemplate exotic scenes of great historical value will be decisive in the creation of these authentic “photographic museums”, which are going to gather images from different countries, including Spain.
At a third look proposed by us comes because a lot of these photographs, the series about Spain specifically, were taken in stereographic format. The 3D or relief photography was fashionable. Its contemplation through stereographic devices, at home and in specific places, was as essential then as it is today to watch television or see a film. By exploring this technique and thinking about the seductive mechanisms of the image, we will put the finishing touch to our walk along the Spain that Alois Beer photographed in 3D.
At second look, we can go beyond the simple contemplation of the images, and think about the context of where they were created, paying attention to the marketing demands and the entertainment means of a society increasingly interested in looking for new horizons for its daily life and entirely devoted to the technical advances available to them.
At that time, photography had transformed from being a rarity, the artistic experiment of only a very few, to becoming a solid industry available to all. The technical advances enabled large scale reproduction of images resulting in an intense commercial activity. At the same time, the vigorous middle class felt the need for spreading its culture and knowledge. The closeness to the romantic heritage, the desire to travel and taste different cultures and the curiosity to contemplate exotic scenes of great historical value will be decisive in the creation of these authentic “photographic museums”, which are going to gather images from different countries, including Spain.
At a third look proposed by us comes because a lot of these photographs, the series about Spain specifically, were taken in stereographic format. The 3D or relief photography was fashionable. Its contemplation through stereographic devices, at home and in specific places, was as essential then as it is today to watch television or see a film. By exploring this technique and thinking about the seductive mechanisms of the image, we will put the finishing touch to our walk along the Spain that Alois Beer photographed in 3D.
