In the 1930s, a small group of California photographers challenged the painterly, soft-focus Pictorialist style of the day. They argued that photography could only advance as an art if its practitioners exploited characteristics inherent to the camera’s mechanical nature. This small association of innovators created Group f/64, named after the camera aperture which produces great depth of field and sharp focus. The exhibition revisits this debate and includes images by photographers in Group f/64 such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Sonya Noskowiak, and Willard Van Dyke, as well as images by Pictorialists such as Anne Brigman, William Dassonville, Johan Hagemeyer, William Mortensen, and Karl Struss.

Edward Weston (United States, 1886 - 1958)

Shell, 1927 gelatin silver print, 91⁄2x73⁄8 inches Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Johan Hagemeyer Collection/Purchase

With more than 100 works by 16 artists, Debating Modern Photography offers a feast for the eyes while illustrating both sides of a high-stakes debate. Outstanding examples of the clean edges and bold forms of Group f/64 stand in sharp contrast to the romantic, hand-crafted Pictorialist work that includes elegant portraits, tonalist landscapes, and allegorical studies.

William Mortensen (United States, 1897 - 1965)

Jascha Heifetz, circa 1932 gelatin silver print, 331⁄4x101⁄2 inches Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: William Mortensen Archive

Alma Lavenson (United States, 1897 - 1989)

Self-Portrait (Hands), 1932 gelatin silver print, 9x12 inches Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Gift of Paul Wahrhaftig

Margrethe Mather (United States, 1885 - 1952)	Ansel Adams (United States, 1902 - 1984)
Judith, 1920 platinum print, 95⁄16x75⁄16 inches Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Purchase	Edward Weston, Carmel, 1945 gelatin silver print, 9x7 inches Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Ansel Adams Archive