Hammer Blog

Did you know that almost all of our programs are recorded live and available to watch online? We do this because we want to reach as many people as possible with the important conversations, ideas, and art that happens inside our walls. The issues discussed and voices heard contributed to critical issues of the time, and also provide a document for the future.

The advent of photography in the early 19th century created a crisis for artists and printmakers. Printmaking had long been associated with creating reproductions for use in illustrated books or newspapers, and photography was able to capture and reproduce scenes quickly without the need for laborious printmaking processes. The ability to redefine printmaking as an artist's medium was crucial to its survival.

Flickering leaves, calm waters, silent forests—these natural phenomena found themselves on the industrial metal plates of French artists in the 1860s. Artists like Jean-Baptise-Camille Corot (1796-1875), Charles-Émile Jacque (1813-1864), and Maxime Lalanne (1827-1886) took to etching gusts ruffling up leaves into a blurry brush, the cold shadows of tall trees, and other landscape scenes in outskirts of the country.

In 2013, Jeanine Oleson joined Laurie Jo Reynolds and Jean Casella as part of a project called “Photo Requests From Solitary,” which began as an initiative to support efforts against the inhumane conditions implemented in prisons across the United States. Individuals held in solitary confinement units or supermax prisons were invited to request an image of “anything at all, real or imagined,” and these requests were fulfilled by artists who reinvented places, people, dreams, and memories.

It's the end of the month, so it's time once again for Hammergram! We are fascinated by the photos our visitors take of the objects and spaces at the Hammer. Hammergram is a monthly round-up of our favorite visitor photos in the hopes that it will inspire you to share your own Hammer experience with us.