Fragment of the Black Mass

This image suggests a lurid scene from a Gothic horror tale. As seen here, William Mortensen’s work was an eclectic mix of different styles. The soft focus references Pictorialist techniques. By contrast, the dark, robed figure references mass-produced horror imagery used throughout Hollywood. Before taking up photography, Mortensen worked for many years in Hollywood as a set designer and glamour portraitist. He was a vocal champion of photographic manipulation. He used an array of retouching, combination printing and textured printing screens to produce his imagery. Mortensen felt that “the final concern of art is not with facts, but with ideas and emotions.”