Why did photography encourage some painters to explore abstract art?

The development of photography in the 19th century significantly influenced the trajectory of modern painting by relieving it of its traditional role as the primary medium for accurately recording the visual world.1

Because photography could capture detailed images of reality with mechanical precision, painters were no longer obligated to serve as the sole means of documenting information. This shift effectively "freed" painting from the necessity of representational accuracy, allowing artists to move away from traditional academic conventions and historical subject matter.1

Consequently, painters were empowered to explore the intrinsic elements of their medium—such as line, color, tone, and composition—in a nonrepresentational context. This transition opened the door to abstraction, where the focus shifted from the objective world to the inner world of the imagination and the aesthetic appeal of manipulating pigments on a flat surface.1