How they are made:
A photogram is a picture that is created without a camera, usually using other photographic equipment or materials such as light-sensitive paper. A Photogram is generally a contact print. It is made by placing something opaque or translucent on light sensitive material and then exposing it to light. This blocks out part of the light, and makes a pattern or picture on the light sensitive material when it is exposed to light.
Dark rooms:
A dark room is a place where photograms are made, this is where the light sensitive paper is most affective due to the dark red light used in the room. There is many different types of equipment in the dark room for example, there is a tool called an enlarger, an enlarger is a special kind of projector used to create photographic prints. By shining light through the negative, it transfers your image from a small negative and enlarges it onto your paper. It is possibly the most important piece of equipment in the dark room. Photo emulsion is when you use light to create an image on a screen to make a stencil. The photo emulsion hardens where light hits and will wash away where light doesn't hit it, leaving an image behind. The three main chemicals used in a dark room are Developer , Stop Bath and Fixer. These chemicals are used to make the image stay on the paper and create it. Timers are important when using the chemicals because if the paper is in the chemicals for a short amount of time they don't turn out as good. The special light in the darkroom is used for the light sensitive paper so it doesn't get ruined. Exposure is when the light sensitive paper is exposed to light when the photograms are not finished. Photograms should be hung up to dry after they are dipped in chemicals. A film negative in photography are photos which the darkest areas are the lightest and the lightest areas appear the darkest.
Photo Analysis:
Here is a photogram from György Kepes. He explores photograms and their limits and this is one of many artworks he has created using light and shadows. In this photogram I see sharp-edged shapes like rectangles and squares. The shapes also have depth to them as some of them are not just two dimensional. Kepes has most likely used light sensitive equipment to create this and I also believe this equipment is the reason for the various shades and shadows in the photogram. The light sensitive equipment also affects the way we view it, if it was in a different room with a different brightness the picture would have looked very different, possibly removing the depth and shadows in it. This photo is interesting to me because of the platforms in it that also affect the shadows in other parts of the photo, some of the brighter shapes on the sides almost look like windows and the picture is a building at night time. If I could speak to the photographer himself I would most likely ask what is the object that is in the picture and how some parts are much darker than others. This artwork is different to other photos I have seen because the colours and space are limited. It is also different in a way of levels, some of the squares are higher than others and some are sticking out and others inverted. I think to be in the artwork would feel cramped and claustrophobic because of the space. Other people could dislike this artwork because of how the colour selection is bland or the shapes are too rigid. I think that the 3 dimensional view in this picture was effective but I also believe that the further right side if the shape is not so effective as the artist could have continued the 3 dimensional shapes in the object instead of making this side look boring and bland.