These fascinating images trace the birth of the modern art photograph – they’re simply beautiful to see

A few months ago, the Level 3 space at Tate Modern was filled with confessional artwork by Tracey Emin, but today the area has undergone a transformation. The Stiffkey Blue paint has been removed, and a darkroom has been installed in the location where Emin's work once resided. However, some elements remain unchanged. The first major exhibition to explore pictorialism as a global movement, Light and Magic, builds upon Emin's legacy within the renovated space.

Curator Genevieve Barton and her team have reimagined the area to create rhythm and pacing in the galleries. They have also incorporated a process timeline along a challenging corridor, providing an opportunity to present pictorialism in a new light. Pictorialism, traditionally viewed as a movement limited to the 1880s to 1920s, is brought into the 20th century by exemplifying its enduring influence on contemporary artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Taryn Simon, and Dayanita Singh.

Pictorialism was not confined to Eurocentric or American borders, as many photographers from China, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, and Korea also contributed to the movement. Long Chin-san, Riverside Spring 1942, and Luo Bonan's Drawing Water from a Well are examples of the international scope of pictorialism. The exhibition aims to debunk misconceptions and present a transhistorical and transnational understanding of the movement.

Pictorialism emphasizes photography as a fine art on par with sculpture or painting. Artists sought to promote photography through individual expression, capturing beauty and truth in various subjects, including the human form, landscapes, portraits, dance, and still life. Naturalistic photography, landscapes, and street photography are common themes within pictorialism, with Ho Fan's painterly images of Hong Kong being particularly praised.