The timing of the camera was crucial in its success. At the time it was invented the art world was in somewhat of a standstill. Classicism, the more formal style of art was at a slow retreat and Romanticism had lost its initial momentum. However, some trends towards realism were about to emerge. With Social Realists in France, Pre-Raphaelites in England, and Landscapists in …show more content…
The piece records the arrival of photography in the painting world. It introduces a new form of “virtual reality” into the painter’s traditional territory (Americanart.si.edu). For centuries you hired a painter to capture your loved ones on canvas, but after the release of the camera, you suddenly had a choice. There is a subtle homage paid towards photography in LeClear’s painting. During that time photographers needed their subjects to keep completely still for long amounts of time to get the picture just right and to make sure it would not come out blurry. The dog coming through the door is a signifier of painting being a superior art. The photographer has to start over while the painter could continue on. It’s a commentary on the uncertainty of the new art form, and the first of many more to