Throughout revolutions that made history and the ones that continue to shape today’s world, photography has provided understanding of the dynamic nuances that make a nation. Similarly, to the transmutation of the political, industrial, and religious scenario in 19th century Russia, photography acted as an important medium in documenting the unrest.
This phase in the history of Russia was extensively catalogued by photographer Maxim Petrovich Dmitriev. He founded the concept of Russian photo-reporting, a genre that came to be popularised as photojournalism. The remarkable photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries form part of a collection showing the many faces of Russia. Dmitriev made photos of everyday scenes of city life—gatherings at marketplaces, tramps, political upheaval, Bolsheviks, Old Believers, and the Russian Revolution.
Born into a family of house servants, Dmitriev grew up to move to Moscow, where he found work as a labourer. In 1873, he became a photographer’s apprentice. He honed his skills into the 1880s, observing society at all levels, under the guidance of renowned Russian photographer Karelin. Eventually, not only did his work gain attention and appreciation but played a significant role in increasing public awareness on socio-political and religious issues where prayers and faith made a lot of difference to the well being of society, which in turn influenced government policies.
In 1873, Dmitriev became a bound apprentice to a well known Moscow photographer, M. Nastjukov. At the same time, he attended drawing classes at Stroganov Art College, among the best of art colleges in Russia. Not only did Dmitriev learn a technical mastery from Nastjukov, he also learned how to view his surroundings with an artistic eye.
This story is from the January/February 2017 edition of Creative Image.
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This story is from the January/February 2017 edition of Creative Image.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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