Theory & Crit: September 2011

PH 302 Theory and Criticism

Photography: Theory & Criticism will examine historic and contemporary philosophical, aesthetic, and epistemological topics addressing the evolution of theories germane to contemporary photographic discourse. As a class, we will address structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, semiotics, and the taxonomy of visual representation from simulacrum to social classification analysis. Conceptual understanding and the successful application of the topics addressed throughout this course are designed to further develop your photographic lexicon. The application of thoughtful, theory-based ideas can be employed to promote visual solutions to challenges in the design, execution, and creation of your work. Theories and topics discussed in the readings will be introduced with supporting imagery for discussion and debate.

Active discussion and participation are core requirements of this course.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Readings 03

Next class: 2011.09.29

A PHOTOGRAPH by Umberto Eco

PHOTOGRAPHY AND FETISH by Christian Metz

and introducing our next section on the postmodern.....

WINNING THE GAME WHEN THE RULES HAVE BEEN CHANGED: ART PHOTOGRAPHY AND POSTMODERNISM by Abigail Solomon-Godeau

Next class we will be discussing the readings in detail, so please have your comments and image examples available for in-class conversation. In addition, we will look at examples of critical/analytical reviews of work in conjunction with our forthcoming assignment (due class 05).

If you have any questions please contact me.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Readings 02

Next class: 09/22

Ways of Seeing by John Berger

Benjamin and the Political Economy of the Photograph by W. J. T. Mitchell

Rhetoric of the Image by Roland Barthes

Photography within the Humanities by Susan Sontag

The order above is recommended. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Readings 01

We are having PDF issues... The readings can be found in front of my office door.

Extracts from Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes (found in your book as well)
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin
On the Invention of Photographic Meaning, 1975 by Allan Sekula

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Outcomes

This course is designed to introduce critical theory and foster the understanding of multiple expectations/interpretations and potential message(s) contained within the photographic image. By deconstructing the conceptual design, formal elements, and the ever-evolving cultural architecture requisite to a contemporary visual language, we will develop the required skill sets to actively seek qualified meaning beyond an image’s superficial mimetic qualities. The ideas, theories, philosophies, and positions expressed by the assigned authors are subject to sensitive trends within ethnographical movements. Through multiple writing exercises, interviewing artists and critics, and attending gallery/museum exhibitions, we will define and articulate points of long-term personal aesthetic/conceptual interest.