RHETOR 20 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: John Szarkowski
Document Summary
Thesis: study of photographic form must consider the medium"s (1) fine art tradition and (2) functional tradition as intimately interdependent aspects of a single history. Investigation of what photographs look like and why they look that way - photographic style, photographic tradition. Sense of possibilities a photographer takes to his/ her work. Photography as a new picture making process based not on synthesis (made paintings), but on selection (take photos) How can such a mechanical and mindless process be made to produce pictures that was meaningful - with clarity, coherence and a point of view. New medium of photographer could not satisfy old standards. Compared to paintings, photography was cheap, easy, ubiquitous, recorded anything. Trivial things after immortalized took on importance. Photographer learned in 2 ways (1) understanding of tools and materials (2) from other photographs. Consider history of medium in terms of photographer"s awareness of characteristics and problems seemed inherent in the medium; 5 issues.
