A day late and a dollar short

Hi.
Some things to think about and answer in your journal with regards to this week's readings:

1. If there were no financial gain to be had, would you prefer to own the Edward Weston image, Neil's Torso (1925)- or the Sherrie Levine copy, After Edward Weston (1981)? Why? How is her appropriation of Edward Weston's photo different from Duchamp's Readymades?

2. Grundberg mentions "photography's inherent strain of postmodernism" and claims that the photographs of Walker Evans and Robert Frank both exhibit postmodern characteristics by "attempting to create a text with [their] photographs". Do you agree with his statement? Are their other modernist photographers who could be included in this category?

3. Given that both Grundberg and Crimp's essays were written 15-20 years ago, do you feel that their analysis of postmodernism and photography is relevant to today's artmaking and photography? It is often difficult to define the current epoch in which one is living- do you think that we are still in the postmodern era?



3.

Chapter 6: Women/Identity

Women and their "role" in photography was discussed in conjunction with identity and misrepresentation of both.

Libby Anson states:
"The mere mention of the phrase of 'women's art' sends shivers down the art establishment spine - more radical feminists on the war-path! Feminism, advocacy of women's rights on the ground of equality, is usually misinterpreted to mean exclusively female, probably radical and, more than likely, shaven-headedly lesbian. It's curious how this misconception perpetuates!"

Do you believe "misconceptions" about women, such as this one, still exist in art? If so, in what way? Also, do you agree (why or why not) with the statement: "The presence of women photographers in the gallery is now taken for granted"? (pg. 282)

Chapter Six

In this chapter Wells mentions factors that made the twentieth century a key era of Artistic Change, such as:

-The Growth of publishing, where futurist, cubist, surrealist, and, constructivist announced birth of their new art movement through manifestos by publishing them in magazines and journals.

- Dislocation of Artist, caused by the war and revolution, contributed a sense of art movements as international, as artist migrated within Europe or to North America, spreading ideas and making work which suggested new ways of seeing.

1. Do you think now is a key era for artist change? Why or why not?

Trevor Paglen

We talked about Trevor Paglen's black site work in class a while ago. He did a talk with Google back in February, but I just found this video on VVORK.com so I thought I would post it here. Enjoy.

Ch. 5 Question (part 2)

1. Bring in an advertising image in which the "signified" is ambiguous or could be decoded "incorrectly" by different cultures.

2. Do you think that advertising strategies have changed to account for the increasing globalization of our consumer culture?

Do you think that "commodity culture" photography has in a way shaped fine art photography? Debord said that "ordinary people who are spectators of spectacle remain passive, un-creative, and therefor powerless in the running of society" and that "the world hid reality". Do you think that fine art photographers feel the need to photograph "the real" because commodity culture photography rarely does? Would they photograph differently if they did not feel like they had to compete/respond to this other genre of photography?

Also - do you think that high-end fashion photography or other commodity culture photography that is created with great technical and aesthetic skill could be considered fine art?