Unit 3 Flashcards
What are typical subjects in Mexican photography?
Local scenes, ordinary urban scenes, and traditional religious practices among rural people.
Who is Nacho Lopez?
A photographer who depicted everyday life in Mexico City.
How did Nacho Lopez pose his subjects?
He would sometimes pose them to create a humorous or poignant effect.
What perspective did Nacho Lopez have on the poor in his photography?
He presented the poor as animated, capable actors in their own realm, not as victims.
What did Nacho Lopez believe about photojournalism?
He believed it was the most expressive form of photography.
What was Nacho Lopez’s distaste in photography?
He had a distaste for photographers who pursued picturesque subjects.
What is the title and year of Nacho Lopez’s notable work?
Nacho Lopez, Campesino, 1949.
What is Magnum Photos?
A cooperative photographic agency founded in 1947 by Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, David “Chim” Seymour, and George Rodger.
What was the goal of Magnum Photos?
To gain more editorial control over their pictures.
What was Magnum Photos’ first project?
A project for the Ladies Home Journal for the monthly photo-essays titled “People are People the World Over.”
What did Magnum Photos focus on in their work?
Photography that would contribute to human betterment.
What is ‘The Family of Man’?
‘The Family of Man’ is a photography exhibition organized by Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art in 1955.
What theme did ‘The Family of Man’ emphasize?
‘The Family of Man’ emphasized the theme of common humanity against the destructive effects of political polarization and divisiveness.
How was ‘The Family of Man’ received by the public?
‘The Family of Man’ was enthusiastically received by the public, who were ready to affirm the goodness of mankind after WWII.
How many countries did ‘The Family of Man’ travel to?
‘The Family of Man’ traveled to over 30 countries.
How many people saw ‘The Family of Man’ exhibition?
‘The Family of Man’ was seen by 9 million people.
When did ‘The Family of Man’ exhibition take place?
‘The Family of Man’ exhibition took place from January 24 to May 8, 1955.
What did Graciela Iturbide focus on in her photography?
She focuses on the adaptation of traditional life to the modern world.
How does Graciela Iturbide portray cultural identity?
She does not mourn the loss of cultural identity or romanticize severe poverty.
What is the depiction of indigenous Mexican peoples in Iturbide’s work?
She portrays them as constantly in flux and accommodating to change.
What was the title of Graciela Iturbide’s work in 1979?
Woman Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico, 1979
What type of subjects did Graciela Iturbide begin her career photographing?
She began her career photographing indigenous and rural peoples.
Who was Manuel Alvarez Bravo?
The most influential photographer in Mexico during the second half of the 20th century.
Which photographers studied with Manuel Alvarez Bravo?
Nacho Lopez and Graciela Iturbide.
What notable exhibition included three of Bravo’s images?
“Family of Man” exhibition.
What themes does Manuel Alvarez Bravo often allude to in his work?
Ancient myth, folklore, ritual, fecundity, and death.
What artistic movement influenced Manuel Alvarez Bravo?
Surrealism.
What is the title of Manuel Alvarez Bravo’s work created between 1938 and 1939?
La Buena Fame (Good Reputation Sleeping).
Who is Seydou Keita?
A photographer from Mali known for his unique portrait style.
What was Seydou Keita’s studio location?
Mali.
How did Seydou Keita’s portraits differ from traditional Western portraits?
He infused them with African qualities.
What types of subjects did Seydou Keita photograph?
Government officials, shopeekers, politicians, and socialites.
In which city did Seydou Keita primarily work?
Bamako.
What was significant about Bamako during Seydou Keita’s work?
The city was undergoing urbanization.
How did Seydou Keita’s approach to photography differ from anthropological photographs?
His subjects collaborated to create an image of lively, confident town life.
What was the initial focus of press photography in South Africa?
Press photography was reserved for white practitioners.
What was Drum magazine originally founded for?
Drum magazine was founded as an entertainment magazine for city-dwelling black folks.
How did Drum magazine evolve over time?
It was reformulated to feature young writers and photographers.
What did the featured photographers in Drum magazine depict?
They pictured life under apartheid, the policy of racial separation in South Africa formalized in 1948.
When was apartheid formalized in South Africa?
Apartheid was formalized in 1948 and regulated with increasingly severe laws throughout the 1950s.
What was unique about Raghubir Singh’s start in photography?
Unlike many other non-Western photographers, Singh began his career in color photojournalism.
Which prominent publications featured Raghubir Singh’s images?
He provided images to National Geographic & The New York Times.
What type of photographic works did Raghubir Singh create?
He made photographic books based on different regions in India.
What is one of Raghubir Singh’s notable works?
Raghubir Singh, Shiva Temple, Jahngira, 198.
Who was Yosuke Yamahata?
A photographer sent by the Japanese military to Nagasaki to document the aftermath of the atomic bomb.
What did Yosuke Yamahata accomplish in Nagasaki?
He photographed the devastation for one day and produced 119 photographs, creating the largest archive of images from an atomic bomb site.
What health issue did Yosuke Yamahata face later in life?
He suffered from severe radiation exposure, which likely contributed to his early death from cancer.
How was Yosuke Yamahata’s work recognized?
His image was used by Edward Steichen in the ‘Family of Man’ exhibit.
What is the title of one of Yosuke Yamahata’s works?
‘A Boy with a Rice Ball, from Atomotized Nagasaki, 1952, Gelatin Silver Print.’
Who is Ken Domon?
Ken Domon was a photographer known for documenting the survivors of the Hiroshima blast.
What is the title of Ken Domon’s book published in 1958?
The title of the book is ‘Hiroshima’.
What does Ken Domon’s book ‘Hiroshima’ document?
It documents the survivors of the Hiroshima blast.
What group did Ken Domon co-found in 1950?
He co-founded the Shudan Photo Group.
What was the Shudan Photo Group’s stance on prewar photography?
The group renounced prewar Pictorialist prettiness and extreme self-expression.
What is the significance of Ken Domon’s work ‘Hiroshima: The Marriage of A-Bomb Victims’?
It is a gelatin silver print created in 1957.
What was the purpose of the First Colloquium of Latin American Photography?
To counteract simplistic and derogatory depictions by foreigners and to affirm the multicultural character of Latin America.
What were the results of the First Colloquium of Latin American Photography?
It brought attention and prominence to Latin American photography, leading to increased activity among photographers in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, and Venezuela.
What did Pre-Columbian peoples symbolize in the context of the colloquium?
They symbolized existence before colonization and represented resistance.
Who organized the event ‘Hecho en Latinoamerica’?
Raquel Tibol organized the event hoping to unite a political vanguard with an artistic avant-garde.
What is a notable work associated with Claudia Andujar?
Claudia Andujar’s work includes ‘Yanomami Youth During a Traditional Reahu Festival’ from 1978.
What was the sentiment in Central and South America towards the United States in the post-war period?
Many individuals resented the influence of the United States - culturally, politically, and economically.
What did individuals in Central and South America desire to forge?
A distinctive Latin American identity in the arts and photography.
What type of photographic practices were of interest in Central and South America?
A wide range of photographic practices, particularly photojournalism.
Who primarily photographed Central and South America for publications abroad?
It was mostly foreign photographers who were sent to photograph the area.
Who is the photographer of the famous image of Che Guevara?
Alberto Korda, Che Guevara, 1960.
What did Aaron Siskind shift his focus from?
He shifted his focus from social documentary to abstract photography.
What are the characteristics of Aaron Siskind’s photography?
He emphasized abstract qualities in nature and built environments.
What type of sites did Siskind photograph?
Sites where humans had left their mark, but were not present.
What narrative elements did Siskind eliminate from his work?
He eliminated narrative content.
What perspective technique did Siskind use?
He flattened perspective.
Who influenced Aaron Siskind’s work?
He was influenced by Abstract Expressionist painters.
What did Siskind explore through his photography?
He explored the inner world of his emotions and experiences.
What is the title and medium of Siskind’s 1949 work?
Aaron Siskind, Jerome, Arizona, 1949, Gelatin Silver Print.
Who is Minor White?
Minor White was a photographer known for his expressive images that reflect the self.
What does Minor White mean by ‘expressive’ images?
‘Expressive’ images are direct mirrors of oneself, as opposed to ‘creative’ images which are altered to affect others.
What did Minor White believe about the visual world?
He believed the visual world was a form of spiritual illumination.
What were Minor White’s interests?
He had a deep interest in poetry, myth, religion, and psychological theory.
How did Minor White often work with his images?
He often worked in sequences of images.
What is the title of Minor White’s work mentioned?
The work mentioned is ‘Empty Head’ from the sequence ‘Sound of One Hand Clapping’, created in 1962.
What type of print is ‘Empty Head’?
‘Empty Head’ is a Gelatin Silver Print.
Who is Jerry Uelsmann?
Jerry Uelsmann is an artist known for using highly precise combination printing techniques to invent alternative worlds.
What themes does Jerry Uelsmann explore in his work?
His work explores ‘the darker side’ of himself and is influenced by Surrealism.
Who was Jerry Uelsmann a student of?
Jerry Uelsmann was a student of Minor White.
What is a notable artwork by Jerry Uelsmann?
A notable artwork is ‘Untitled (Landscape with a floating tree)’, created in 1969.
Who is Robert Frank?
Swiss-born photographer who traveled and photographed around the United States.
What did Robert Frank’s photography protest against?
Protest against numbing mass culture, materialism, and social conformity.
How did Robert Frank view the American tradition?
Assailed the deeply rooted American tradition of rural innocence and integrity, and prophesied the coming of shabby morality and self-delusion to the American heartland.
What did Robert Frank transform symbols of postwar American prosperity into?
Transformed symbols of postwar American prosperity (TVs, cars, etc.) to symbolize the alienation caused by commercialism.
What is notable about the subjects in Robert Frank’s series?
The subjects in the series seem stuck in one place - ‘The only mobile person…is the artist himself.’
What is a common characteristic of the people in Frank’s images?
People seldom make eye contact in his images.
What are the stylistic features of Robert Frank’s photography?
Gritty, tilted, blurred compositions.
What advantage did the 35mm camera provide Robert Frank?
Allowed him to take pictures quickly.
What is the narrative style of Robert Frank’s photography?
No clear visual narrative with fragmented ‘indecisive’ moments.
What is the title of Robert Frank’s notable work?
Robert Frank, Drug Store, Detroit, 1955, from The Americans, Gelatin Silver Print.
When did street photography become very popular?
Street photography became very popular in the postwar period.
What inspired photographers in street photography?
Photographers found inspiration in America’s shifting crowds.
What did street photography represent?
It represented the photographer’s inner feelings and/or the materialism of postwar culture.
Who made high contrast street photographs?
Harry Callahan made high contrast street photographs that appear tense and inhospitable.
What is an example of Harry Callahan’s work?
Harry Callahan, Chicago, 1961.
What is the Social Landscape?
A term derived from several exhibition titles referring to a style of photography indifferent to social reform, focusing on the qualities of camera vision.
What are the characteristics of the Social Landscape style?
It features neutral vision and disinterested irony.
Who influenced Lee Friedlander in his photography?
Lee Friedlander was influenced by Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans’.
What did Lee Friedlander do in relation to his photography?
He made several road trips around the United States.
How does Friedlander’s work hint at storytelling?
It often hints at a story, but rarely, if ever, more than hinted.
What element does Friedlander frequently include in his work?
He frequently includes his shadow or reflection as a reminder of camera vision and the photographic process.
What is a notable work by Lee Friedlander?
Lee Friedlander, New Orleans, 1968.
What significant event influenced Garry Winogrand’s 1964 road trip?
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
What does Garry Winogrand focus on in his photography?
Human gestures and body stances that indicate tension and inner turmoil.
How does Winogrand’s view of human nature manifest in his work?
Through abrupt cropping and tilted angles.
What is a notable work by Garry Winogrand from 1964?
American Legion Convention, Dallas, Texas, 1964, Gelatin Silver Print.
Who is Diane Arbus?
A photographer known for her work in New York City.
What was Diane Arbus’s approach to normalcy?
She turned normalcy on its head, making the ordinary seem bizarre.
What themes did Diane Arbus focus on in her photography?
She focused on psychic emptiness and damage.
Who did Diane Arbus often photograph?
Marginalized individuals, who became symbols of her own psychological fragility and trauma.
What is one of Diane Arbus’s notable works?
Child with Toy Hand Grenade, 1962.
Who is Danny Lyon?
Danny Lyon is a photographer known for documenting his time as a member of the Outlaws motorcycle club.
What motorcycle club did Danny Lyon photograph?
Danny Lyon photographed the Outlaws, a Midwestern motorcycle club.
How did Danny Lyon portray the Outlaws?
He presented them as young rebels living outside of middle-class social values.
What aspect of the Outlaws did Danny Lyon emphasize in his photography?
He showed their strong companionship.
What is the significance of the photograph taken by Danny Lyon in 1966?
The photograph titled ‘Cal, Eikhorn, Wisconsin, 1966’ captures a moment from his time with the Outlaws.
Who is Larry Clark?
Larry Clark is a photographer and author known for his work documenting drug users and youth culture.
What is the title of Larry Clark’s book published in 1971?
The title of Larry Clark’s book is ‘Tulsa’.
What is the main theme of ‘Tulsa’?
‘Tulsa’ is a first-hand account of Larry Clark’s time spent among drug users, many of whom were his friends.
What was the reaction to Larry Clark’s photographs?
His photographs received many negative reactions for implying that getting high is an appropriate response to the banal meaninglessness of American life.
How does Larry Clark’s work contrast with Depression-era photography?
Larry Clark’s work presents a stark contrast to the bright humanism of Depression-era photography.
What is the title of Larry Clark’s photograph from 1971?
The title of the photograph is ‘Accidental Gunshot Wound’.
What type of photographic process did Larry Clark use for ‘Accidental Gunshot Wound’?
‘Accidental Gunshot Wound’ was created using gelatin.
Who was Ernest Withers?
Ernest Withers was the first African-American police officer hired in Memphis, TN.
What other profession did Ernest Withers have?
He was also a photographer.
What significant event did Ernest Withers photograph in 1968?
He photographed the sanitation workers march in Memphis in 1968.
How are the individual identities of the marchers represented in Withers’ photographs?
The individual identities of the marchers are obscured by the repetition of signs.
What is the title of the photograph taken by Ernest Withers during the march?
The photograph is titled ‘Workers Assembling for a Solidarity March, Memphis, Tennessee, 1968.’
Who was Larry Burrows?
Larry Burrows was a photographer known for his work during the Vietnam War.
What was the focus of Larry Burrows’ photography?
He concentrated on the experience of individual soldiers.
What type of photography was Larry Burrows known for?
He worked in black and white but was most well known for his color photographs of the war.
What did Larry Burrows’ photographs symbolize?
His photographs came to symbolize America’s futile involvement in Vietnam.
How did Larry Burrows die?
He died in a helicopter crash during the Vietnam War.
What is the title of one of Larry Burrows’ works?
One of his works is titled ‘At a First-Aid Center During Operation Prairie, 1966.’
What type of print was used for ‘At a First-Aid Center During Operation Prairie’?
It was a dye-transfer print.
Who took the photograph of the execution?
The photograph was taken by Eddie Adams.
What event does the photograph depict?
The photograph records the execution of a suspected Communist sympathizer by a South Vietnamese General.
What was the impact of the photograph in the United States?
It roused national anger in the United States.
When was the photograph taken?
The photograph was taken on Feb. 1, 1968.
What type of print is the photograph?
It is a Gelatin Silver Print.
What is American Pop Art?
American Pop Art is characterized by a nonchalant attitude towards society as spectacle and accepts mass-produced goods and images as part of modern life.
What techniques did Andy Warhol use in his art?
Andy Warhol appropriated tabloid images, enlarged them, and saturated them to emphasize the omnipresence of photographic reproduction.
How did Andy Warhol capture celebrities?
He made photographs of celebrities at his parties, often using a Polaroid.
What is a Photomat?
A Photomat is a place where Warhol photographed his clients and then reproduced those images as silkscreen prints.
What is silkscreen printing?
Silkscreen printing is a printmaking process where a stencil is made on silk or synthetic textile stretched over a frame. It can be adapted to photography, allowing the artist to imprint a photograph on the textile and adjust colors.
What does the repetition of Marilyn’s image in Marilyn Diptych signify?
The repetition of Marilyn’s image registers the fan’s longing for more glimpses of her image.
What is Marilyn Diptych?
Marilyn Diptych is a work by Andy Warhol created in 1962, using acrylic on canvas.
Who was John Szarkowski?
Influential former director of the Photography Department at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
What did Szarkowski insist regarding photography?
He insisted that photography abandon its ‘allegiance to traditional pictorial standards’ and be inventive in its inherent qualities.
What was Szarkowski’s belief about progress in photography?
He believed that progress in photography centered on novelty - not new subjects, but fresh formal approaches.
What are Szarkowski’s Five Characteristics of Photography?
- The Thing Itself - the photograph was a picture, not the equivalent of reality.
- The Detail - referred to photography’s ‘compelling clarity’ and its ability to ‘isolate a fragment’ of reality.
- The Frame - ‘the central act of choosing and eliminating.’
- The Vantage Point - allows photographers to present the subject from unexpected points of view.
- All Photographs are Time Exposures, or Shorter of Longer Duration.
What does ‘The Thing Itself’ refer to in Szarkowski’s characteristics?
It refers to the idea that the photograph is a picture, not the equivalent of reality.
What is meant by ‘The Detail’ in Szarkowski’s characteristics?
‘The Detail’ refers to photography’s ‘compelling clarity’ and its ability to ‘isolate a fragment’ of reality.
What does ‘The Frame’ signify in Szarkowski’s Five Characteristics?
‘The Frame’ signifies ‘the central act of choosing and eliminating.’
What is the significance of ‘The Vantage Point’?
‘The Vantage Point’ allows photographers to present the subject from unexpected points of view.
What does Szarkowski mean by ‘All Photographs are Time Exposures’?
‘All Photographs are Time Exposures’ refers to the idea that photographs capture moments of shorter or longer duration.
Who praised William Eggleston’s work?
William Eggleston’s work was praised by Szarkowski.
Where was William Eggleston based?
William Eggleston was a Memphis, TN based photographer.
When did William Eggleston begin to experiment with color film?
William Eggleston began to experiment with color film in 1965.
What subjects did William Eggleston center his photography on?
Eggleston centered his photography on vernacular color found in ordinary subjects like a tricycle, a backyard barbeque, or a cracked ceiling.
How did Eggleston enhance the colors of his prints?
He intensified the colors of his prints using the pigments of the dye-transfer process.
What themes does Andreas Gursky explore in his photography?
He photographed the architectural manifestations of globalization and their impact on people.
What type of photographs did Andreas Gursky produce?
He produced huge photographs of public buildings.
How are Gursky’s photographs described?
They are simultaneously glamorous and ominous.
What is notable about the color photographs by Gursky?
They are reminiscent of history paintings but maintain a neutral quality due to the camera’s distance from the subject.
How does Gursky manipulate his photographs?
His photographs are often heavily digitally manipulated.
Which artistic movement is Andreas Gursky associated with?
He is a member of the Düsseldorf School.
What is the title and medium of Gursky’s work from 1998?
Andreas Gursky, Bundesi
Mixed media.
What building blocks of nature became of interest to artists?
Artists became interested in subatomic particles and the human genome.
How have science and technology affected Gary Schneider’s work?
For Schneider, science and technology have permanently changed the portrait.
What printing process does Gary Schneider use?
Uses the platinum printing process - a favorite of Pictorialist photographers.
What is the title of Gary Schneider’s work from 1997?
Gary Schneider, Pair of Tumor Suppressor Genes on Chrom 1997, platinum print.
From his series, Genetic Self-Portrait
Who are the creators of the combination-pictures?
Suzanne Bloom & Ed Hill
What software do Bloom and Hill use for their artwork?
They use image-manipulation software called MANUAL.
What type of images do Bloom and Hill create?
They create combination-pictures of forests and abstract shapes.
What themes do Bloom and Hill’s works explore?
Their works point away from industrialization and toward the positive potential of cyberspace.
What is the title of the work created by Bloom and Hill in 1993?
Constructed Forest
What year was ‘Constructed Forest’ created?
1993
What type of color is used in ‘Constructed Forest’?
Digital Color
What does the work by Aziz and Cucher express?
The work expresses the fear that digital technologies pose a threat that is muffled by enthusiasm for technological advancement.
What effect do computer generated images have on the sitters?
Computer generated images close the eyes, ears, and mouths of the sitters.
How are the sitters affected in their experiences?
The sitters are cut off from direct experiences in the world.
What is the critique presented in Aziz and Cucher’s work?
“No one seems to care that this idealized world functions on the basis of extreme human isolation, mediated experiences, and global consumerism.”
Aziz and Cucher, Dystopia, 1994, Digital Prints
What is the combination of snapshot aesthetic and digitally altered images?
It strays from the appearance of optical reality.
What does ‘vrai-faux’ mean?
The state of looking real by being enhanced through digital means.
What technique does Pedro Meyer use in his photographs?
He uses the illusion of three-dimensional, photographic space in his magical, digitally altered photographs.
What is the title of Pedro Meyer’s 1991 work?
The Temptation of the Angel.
What type of print is ‘The Temptation of the Angel’?
Digital Color Print.
Who is the artist discussed?
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie
What digital processes does Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie use?
She uses digital processes to copy old photographs and collage them with bits of appropriated imagery.
What themes does Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie address in her work?
She creates pointed yet humorous indictments of Eurocentric points of view.
What is the title of Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie’s work mentioned?
Damn! There Goes the Neighborhood
When was ‘Damn! There Goes the Neighborhood’ created?
1998
What type of artwork is ‘Damn! There Goes the Neighborhood’?
Digital Print
Who is Jeff Wall?
Jeff Wall is an artist known for staging scenes for the camera and displaying them as large transparencies in front of light boxes.
What techniques does Jeff Wall use in his art?
Wall often references famous paintings, literature, and history in his work. His use of editing software is not usually evident in the final images.
What is ‘Dead Troops Talk’?
‘Dead Troops Talk’ is a work by Jeff Wall that depicts a scene reminiscent of epic history paintings, using actors to portray the scene.
What is the significance of ‘Dead Troops Talk’?
‘Dead Troops Talk’ illustrates a vision after an ambush of a Red Army patrol near Mogor, Afghanistan, in Winter 1986.
What materials were used in ‘Dead Troops Talk’?
‘Dead Troops Talk’ was created using Cibachrome transparency, fluorescent light, and an aluminum display case.
Who is the artist of Pure Land?
Mariko Mori
What does Pure Land create?
A colorful world inhabited by futuristic images from monster movies, popular toys, and bubble gum flavors.
What is the Floating World?
A Buddhist notion for transcendence of the material world, appropriated in the 17th century to represent transient pleasures.
What themes does Mariko Mori’s work combine?
References to tradition, commerce, fashion, and Japan’s infatuation with the West.
What years was Pure Land created?
1997 - 98
What materials are used in Pure Land?
Glass photo interlayer
What is the focus of Mary Ellen Mark’s work?
Mark’s work centers on the plight of unfortunate peoples, but does so without being sentimental.
How does Mary Ellen Mark’s approach differ from F.S.A. photographers?
She does not venerate the poor as an F.S.A. photographer might.
What is notable about Mary Ellen Mark’s series on homeless children and teenagers in Seattle?
It is compassionate, yet unflinching.
What is the title of Mary Ellen Mark’s work featuring ‘Rat’ and Mike?
Mary Ellen Mark, ‘Rat’ and Mike with a Gun, S Washington, 1983
What change occurred in documentary and photojournalism?
There was an increased use of text to contextualize photographs.
What significant events did Susan Meiselas photograph?
She photographed several small wars during the late 20th century.
What do Susan Meiselas’ books contain?
Her books contain photographs as well as substantial data.
What is the title of Susan Meiselas’ work related to Nicaragua?
Street Fighter in Managua.
In what year was ‘Street Fighter in Managua’ published?
1981.
Who is Sebastião Salgado?
A photographer known for his work depicting human suffering and resilience.
What are typical subjects of Sebastião Salgado’s photography?
People who survive day-to-day, physical laborers, refugees, victims of famines, and groups who migrate due to natural disasters or civil unrest.
What are the characteristics of Sebastião Salgado’s work?
Black & white only, available light, high ISO film, and often references religious art.
How does Salgado’s work compare to F.S.A. work?
It depicts subjects as ‘pure of heart’ despite their suffering and hardships.
What criticism has been directed at Salgado’s work?
Some critics describe it as ‘sentimental voyeurism’ built upon the backs of the unfortunate.
What is a defense of Sebastião Salgado’s use of beauty in his images?
Defenders argue that beauty helps his work stand out among a deluge of images depicting human suffering.
What is the title of Sebastião Salgado’s work featuring Serra Pelada, Brazil?
An Uncertain Grace, published in 1990.
What do Thomas Ruff’s uniform picture making techniques explore?
They explore the extent to which viewers contribute interpretations to portrait photographs.
What are the characteristics of Thomas Ruff’s portrait photographs?
They have no dramatic lighting, expressions, or poses; are close-up yet impersonal; and give no sense of the subject’s personality.
What belief does Thomas Ruff’s work question?
It questions the long-held belief that one can read personal character from a photograph.
What is the title of Thomas Ruff’s 1987 work?
Thomas Ruff, Portrait, 1987, Chromogenic color print.
Who is the artist associated with the work ‘Five Day Forecast’?
Lorna Simpson
What is a characteristic of the subjects in Lorna Simpson’s work?
Faces of the African American subjects are deliberately cropped
How is individuality presented in Lorna Simpson’s work?
Individuality is obscured
What type of background is used in Lorna Simpson’s images?
Plain background
What clothing do the subjects wear in Lorna Simpson’s work?
Plain, matching shirts
What is the fixed aspect of the composition in Lorna Simpson’s work?
Fixed distance from each subject
What is notable about the alignment of the days of the week and the list of mistakes in Lorna Simpson’s work?
The days of the week at the top of the images do not align with the list of mistakes at the bottom
What does Lorna Simpson place on the viewer in her work?
The burden of interpretation
What does Lorna Simpson’s work force the viewer to confront?
The complexity of the relationship between image and text
What is the title of Lorna Simpson’s 1988 work?
‘Five Day Forecast’
What does ‘Five Day Forecast’ consist of?
Five black and white prints in one frame and ten engraved plaques
What are the characteristics of the Postmodern Era?
Rejection of Modernist themes such as abstraction and the subjective expression of unique intellects.
Refusal to recognize the authority of any single style or definition of what art should be.
What social rationales does the Postmodern Era challenge?
It challenges long-standing social rationales about the improvability of the human condition made possible by the progress of knowledge and science.
What is the present moment characterized by in the Postmodern Era?
The present moment is a state of flux.
What global factors are significant in the Postmodern Era?
Global economic systems, proliferation of mass media, and interest in the human body.
What artistic concepts are explored in the Postmodern Era?
Interest in the blurred image, appropriation, constructed realities, and eclectic mixing of different artistic styles and mediums.
What does pluralism refer to in the context of the Postmodern Era?
Pluralism refers to the coexistence of multiple artistic styles and perspectives.
What does Douglas Crimp say about our experience and pictures?
“Our experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to these pictures, first hand experience begins to retreat, to seem more and more trivial. While it once seemed that pictures had the function of interpreting reality, it now seems they have usurped it.”
What is Crimp’s view on the camera?
“The camera, in all its manifestations, is our god, dispensing what we mistakenly take to be truth.”
Who is Sherrie Levine?
An artist known for incorporating appropriation into her work.
What is appropriation in art?
The practice of artists using pre-existing objects or images in their art with little transformation of the original.
What is the significance of Levine’s series ‘After Walker Evans’?
Levine rephotographed images to highlight the ubiquity of the copy and the insignificance of the original.
How was Levine’s work received?
It was praised and attacked as a critique of the commodification of art.
What is the title of Levine’s work from 1981?
‘After Walker Evans:4’
Medium: Gelatin Silver Print
Who is Richard Prince?
An artist known for appropriating mass media images from magazines.
What techniques does Richard Prince use in his artwork?
He cuts, crops, rearranges, and reprints images to question advertising devices used to arouse desire.
What is the title of Richard Prince’s work from 1993?
Untitled (Cowboys)
This work is an Ektacolor print.
Who is Cindy Sherman?
Cindy Sherman is an artist known for her work that responds to the mass media landscape.
What is the title of Cindy Sherman’s notable series?
The title of her notable series is Untitled Film Stills (1970-1980).
What themes does Untitled Film Stills explore?
Untitled Film Stills uses cinematic conventions to spark conversations about feminism.
Are the images in Untitled Film Stills self-portraits?
Yes, the images are self-portraits, but Cindy Sherman is not revealed in them.
What concept do Sherman’s faux film characters represent?
Her faux film characters perpetuate the idea of the Postmodern Copy.
What is an example of Cindy Sherman’s work?
An example of her work is Untitled Film Still #2, 1977.
What does blurring the subject allude to?
Transient and fragmentary moments.
What are the characteristics of identities in blurring the subject?
Fuzzy or disfigured identities.
What type of knowledge is associated with blurring the subject?
Indistinct and ambiguous knowledge.
Who is Uta Barth?
An artist known for creating fragmentary, fuzzy pictures that rely on light and color.
What is a notable feature of Uta Barth’s photographs?
They often depict empty rooms.
What does Uta Barth’s work express?
The impossibility of an intelligible experience and exalts the simple pleasure of looking.
What is the title of Uta Barth’s work from 1994?
Ground #42, 1994.
What type of artwork is Ground #42?
Color photograph on panel.
Who is Hiroshi Sugimoto?
A photographer known for his interest in the fragile beauty of uncertainty.
What does Hiroshi Sugimoto express in his work?
The tension between the visual pleasure of looking and the cold comfort of human systems of measurement.
What photographic effect is reminiscent of Pictorialist photographers?
The blur effect used by Hiroshi Sugimoto.
What is one of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s works?
Aegean Sea, Pilion 1, 15.
Who is Craig Owens?
A critic who argued that there was a connection between the postmodernism critique of representation and the feminist critique of the patriarchy.
What did Craig Owens indicate about Cindy Sherman’s films stills?
The artist assumes roles (another identity) to reveal them as gender stereotypes.
What is the belief regarding gender according to Craig Owens?
If gender is not innate, but culturally acquired, it can also be culturally rejected and redirected.
How does Craig Owens view gender?
As a kind of performance, rather than the expression of an inherent feminine or masculine temperament.
What is the divide in feminist thought according to the text?
Essentialist feminists believe that femininity is an inborn trait, while culturalists believe that gender roles are culturally determined.
What is the title of Judy Dater’s work mentioned?
Maureen with Fan, 1972
What influenced the constructed realities and the directorial mode?
The convergence of Conceptual art’s interest in ideas, Postmodernism’s investigation into visual and verbal signs, and an increase in installation art.
Who referred to the process of staging scenes for photography as ‘the directorial mode’?
A.D. Coleman.
Which photographers are known for staging scenes in the directorial mode?
Alexander Gardner, Oscar Gustave Rejlander, Henry Peach Robinson, Lady Clementina Hawarden, and advertising photography.
What did photographers working in the directorial mode do?
They conceived and fabricated subjects, disregarding photography’s conventional assignment of finding meaning from the look of the world.
What influenced the desire to stage fictions for the camera?
The Postmodern deconstruction of photographic truth.
What is the title of Gabriel Orozco’s work from 1992?
Gatos y sandias (Cats Watermelons).
What is the dual nature of Sandy Skoglund’s work?
Her work is meant to be seen as both a photograph and a sculptural installation.
How are the people depicted in Sandy Skoglund’s photographs characterized?
The people who occupy her photographs are often ‘sense dulled’ and exist in monochrome spaces, while colorful objects invade.
What is the title of Sandy Skoglund’s 1981 work?
Revenge of the Goldfish.
What type of print is Sandy Skoglund’s ‘Revenge of the Goldfish’?
Silver Dye Bleach (Cibachrome) print.
What type of productions does Gregory Crewdson create?
His images are large budget productions, much like a movie, and are often staged on sets.
What themes do Gregory Crewdson’s images typically explore?
He typically works in a series of images to craft mysterious scenes with an undercurrent of anxiety that often take place in small, suburban towns.
What does Gregory Crewdson aim to explore through his work?
He wants to explore ‘the American psyche through the American vernacular landscape.’
What is the title of Gregory Crewdson’s work from 2001?
Gregory Crewdson, Ophelia, 2001, Digital C-print
What type of productions does Gregory Crewdson create?
His images are large budget productions, much like a movie, and are often staged on sets.
What themes do Gregory Crewdson’s images typically explore?
He typically works in a series of images to craft mysterious scenes with an undercurrent of anxiety that often take place in small, suburban towns.
What does Gregory Crewdson aim to explore through his work?
He wants to explore ‘the American psyche through the American vernacular landscape.’
What is the title of Gregory Crewdson’s work from 2001?
Gregory Crewdson, Ophelia, 2001, Digital C-print
Who is Yinka Shonibare?
Yinka Shonibare is a London-born, Nigerian raised artist who poses himself incongruously in the midst of figures enacting a scene that resembles 18th & 19th century painting.
What themes does Yinka Shonibare’s work engage with?
Much of Shonibare’s work engages with his ‘outsider’ status as a black, disabled artist and investigates conditions of postcolonialism and globalisation.
What additional themes are explored in Shonibare’s series?
This series also engages with the construction of identity and nostalgic representations of British heritage.
What is the title of Yinka Shonibare’s 1998 work?
The title of the work is ‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy (21:00 hours)’.
What type of print is ‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy’?
‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy’ is a C-type print.
What is the title of Sally Mann’s series that includes images of her children nude or partially nude?
The title of the series is Immediate Family.
What do defenders of Sally Mann’s work argue?
Defenders argue that she has the right to make the images and that they are truthful expressions of childhood.
What do detractors of Sally Mann’s work claim?
Detractors claim she has a responsibility as a parent to protect her children from lewd gazes.
What is the title of the specific work by Sally Mann from 1989?
The title of the work is Naptime.
What does Edward Burtynsky expose in his work?
The paradoxical relationship between beauty and destruction.
What type of landscapes does Edward Burtynsky concentrate on?
Landscapes made spectacular by pollution, mining, and industrial decay.
What is a key interest of Edward Burtynsky?
The worldwide spread of industrial development driven by the cheap cost of oil.
What is the title of Edward Burtynsky’s work from 1996?
Nickel Tailings, No. 34, Sudbury, Ontario, 1996.
What issues does Carrie Mae Weems explore?
Carrie Mae Weems explores issues of history, the body, appropriation, and ethnic identity.
What images did Carrie Mae Weems appropriate?
Weems appropriated images made by J.T. Zealy in the late 19th century to support Louis Agassiz’s racist theories.
How did Carrie Mae Weems transform the appropriated images?
Weems transformed the images by rephotographing, reshaping, framing them, and adding a blue tone to some images.
What was the effect of Weems’ transformation on the photographs?
Weems transformed ‘scientific’ photographs that made a spectacle of the body into a memorial.
What is the title of the work by Carrie Mae Weems from the Sea Island series?
The title of the work is ‘Diana Portraits’ from the Sea Island series, created in 1992.
What type of prints did Carrie Mae Weems use for the Diana Portraits?
Weems used Ektacolor prints for the Diana Portraits.
How many panels are in the Diana Portraits work?
The Diana Portraits work consists of three panels.
Who is Thomas Demand?
An artist who creates life-size models mostly out of cut paper, often based on news photographs.
What does Thomas Demand do with his models?
He photographs the models and then destroys them.
How are Demand’s photographs related to the original news photographs?
His photographs are three-times removed from the original, which itself was a reproduction.
What are the characteristics of Demand’s works?
Typically devoid of people, with little signs of wear and tear; chilly and restrained.
What is the meaning of ‘The Clearing’ by Thomas Demand?
It is ambiguous in meaning, potentially representing a new beginning or the dawn of an apocalyptic event.
What is the title and year of Thomas Demand’s work mentioned?
The Clearing, 2003, C-Print.
Who is Rineke Dijkstra?
Rineke Dijkstra is a photographer known for making portraits of men and women, some of whom she has photographed for years.
What are the characteristics of Rineke Dijkstra’s work?
Her work is characterized as lush, informative, and loving.
What is Rineke Dijkstra’s approach to photography?
She is a believer in observing rather than asking questions.
What stage of life does Rineke Dijkstra focus on in her photography?
She focuses on the vulnerable time of life when the innocence of childhood begins to vanish.
What themes are present in Rineke Dijkstra’s work?
Her work includes visual metaphors for the loss of innocence.
What is a notable work by Rineke Dijkstra?
Rineke Dijkstra, Tiergarten, Berlin, August 13, 2000.
Who is Atong Atem?
Atong Atem is an Ethiopian-born photographer living in Australia.
What inspires Atong Atem’s works?
Her works draw inspiration from African portrait photography and how subjects express their identities through poses, objects, and clothing.
What trend does Atong Atem’s work represent?
Her work represents a twenty-first century trend to adapt and reshape photography to express the cultural experience and heritage of non-Western peoples.
What is the historical context of photography that Atem addresses?
Photography has historically degraded non-Western peoples, and Atem’s work seeks to accommodate and express their cultural experiences.
What is the title of Atong Atem’s 2018 work?
The title of her 2018 work is ‘Self-Portrait in Gingham’.
Who is Wendy Red Star?
Wendy Red Star is a Native American photographer.
What does Wendy Red Star often include in her work?
Wendy Red Star often presents herself in her work, wearing a traditional elk tooth dress.
What themes does Wendy Red Star explore in her art?
Her works often seek to show how time and events have impacted Native Americans.
What is an example of an object Wendy Red Star includes in her work?
She includes a kitsch inflatable buffalo in her piece titled ‘Fall.’
Example sentence: ‘Wendy Red Star, Fall, 2006.’
