Photography Theory

by James Elkins (Editor)

What is a photograph? That simple question is far from settled, as this innovative book demonstrates. Photography Theory presents forty of the world's most active art historians and theorists-including Victor Burgin, Joel Snyder, Rosalind Krauss, Alan Trachtenberg, Geoffrey Batchen, Carol Squiers, Margaret Iversen, Abigail Solomon-Godeau-in animated debate on the nature of photography.

Photography has been around for nearly two centuries, but we are no closer to understanding what it is. For some people, a photograph is an optically accurate impression of the world. For others, it is mainly a way of remembering people and places. For still others, it is a sign of bourgeois life, a kind of addiction of the middle class. And for yet others, it is a troublesome interloper, which has confused people's ideas of reality and fine art to the point that they have difficulty even defining what a photograph is. And for some, the whole question of finding photography's nature is itself misguided from the beginning.

This provocative second volume in the new Routledge series "The Art Seminar" presents not one but many answers to the question what makes a photograph a photograph?

Genres: Photography, Art, Theory, Nonfiction

484 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

James Elkins (1955 – present) is an art historian and art critic. He is E.C. Chadbourne Chair of art history, theory, and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also coordinates the Stone Summer Theory Institute, a short term school on contemporary art history based at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

*WHEW!*

This book is D-E-N-S-E. As far as art/photo theory go- it's a little navel-gazing; and it has quite a bit of "theory about other theorists theories" which is totally maddening, especially if you don't know who they are talking about (thankfully I knew who several of them were). I did like what some of the panelists had to say about the medium, though in the end no one really agreed with each other and they all basically had valid points. The sad fact is that photography *can't* really be defined in any coherent way just now, as can other art forms. It's nice to know the conversation ongoing, though.

[Linsea Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

a LOT to digest!

[Andy Greaves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely poorly written and thus difficult to read. Bloody rubbish, don't waste your money.