"The Last Furrow"

photogravure

Important representative of the American pictorialism. Fassbender was born in Germany and time and again returned to the Black Forest or Tyrol to take pictures.
(Fritz Simak)

The excitement was over, the horses and plow reached the crest of the hill and were going homeward, the close of the day. The animals tired, the farmer worn out, the clouds and the world rush on. “The Last Furrow.”The excited people in the road took it good naturedly and went off happily. “Good bye, farmer”, I called to him. “I’ll send you a picture soon”. And I did.
Composition:
“Onward” and “The Last Furrow” are good representations of the steelyard composition. The opposing moods, as explained in the story of “Onward” express the utmost drama in picture making and it can be well seen that in after treatment, many things had to be done to carry out the thought and impression of the unusual settings. Whereas “Onward” represents more the modern treatment and idea of power, angle and action, “The Last Furrow” reminds one of the more lyrical and peaceful conception one finds in paintings of the past. It must be left to the taste and emotional reaction of the beholder as to preference. Both pictures show clearly the creative work possible and that Photography differs from the other Arts only in the medium used.
Technical Problems:
The sky in either picture needed emphasis and extra clouds in places in order to carry on the respective movements. Photographing almost dead into the sun at 4 p.m. left the film practically without detail in the shadows. So, retouching became an important factor. Reduction of sky in both films was also needed for lack of filter effectiveness. In “Onward”, the hill in front of the horses was raised to lead upward, and in the “Last Furrow” it was etched off to lead downward.
Data:
For “The Last Furrow” and “Onward”
Camera: Linhof 9x12cm
Lens: Zeiss Tessar
Stop: f.8
Filter: Medium Yellow
Film: Agfa Superpan
Exposure: 1/200, in hand
Print: Tuma Gas, direct
(Adolf Fassbender, 1937)