The Photograph

by Graham Clarke

How do we read a photograph? In this rich and fascinating work, Graham Clarke gives a clear and incisive account of the photograph's historical development, and elucidates the insights of the most engaging thinkers on the subject, such as Roland Barthes and Susan Sontag. From the first misty "heliograph" taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826 to the classic compositions of Cartier-Bresson and Alfred Steiglitz and the striking postmodern strategies of Robert Mapplethorpe, Clarke provides a groundbreaking examination of photography's main subject areas--landscape, the city, portraiture, the body, and reportage--as well as a detailed analysis of exemplary images in terms of their cultural and ideological contexts. With over 130 illustrations, The Photograph offers a series of discussions of major themes and genres providing an up-to-date introduction to the history of photography and creating a record of the most dazzling, penetrating, and pervasive images of our time.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, History, Art and Photography

248 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 1997

About the author

Graham Clarke was born in 1941 and is an artist, author, illustrator and humorist.

Reviews

[Zoë Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the first year of my photography degree, lots of wonderful information but a lot to read at once. The language is extremely descriptive and perhaps "over-the-top" however still worth the read for reference, some wonderful work in there.

[Domiziana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inizialmente acquistato per preparare un esame universitario, ho finito per leggerlo per puro piacere personale.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first taste of the Oxford History of Art series.

The good: I learnt about some interesting photographers like Diane Arbus, Chris Killip, Martin Parr, Brassaï, André Kertész, and Ernst Haas. There was a range of different photographic styles and sometimes the interpretation/criticism helped to explain what makes photos 'good'.

The bad: the writing style! A few snippets: "Phenomenologically, there is a primary concern with the thingness of things", "...a complex typology as to how space is suggestive of the mythology of possibility and freedom, and historical and sociological realities", and "The image is concerned with the quizzical nature of presence". Also, the book focuses heavily on black and white photography, and most of the works are somewhat dated (the book was published in 1995 but even so, most examples were from the early to mid 20th century).

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just like looking at the pictures, haven't read the text.

[Clive Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some opinions didn't seem to make sense when taking the viewer into account. The writing was not always easy to read, I was particularly irritated by his use of 'basic to' in place of core to or essential to or key to.
The photographs are great though and I was introduced to a couple of names that I will investigate further.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive history of photography - covering aspects of technical progress, social implications and artistic values. Interesting reading!

[Roy McDine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well documented and illustrated, would liked to have seen more images of each photographers, but liked the format.

[Keith Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some wonderful photos to illustrate the progression of photography and the book explores diverse themes of the craft, but the narrative comes across as a bit pompous.

[Linuet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to photography.

[Julien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well documented book about the history of photography. The technical evolution of photography and its social impact.

[dv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ottima storia soprattutto per come sottolinea l'aggettivo "culturale" del titolo. Al di là dell'efficace progressione per temi e della scelta (buona) di autori e foto, quel che più funziona sono le considerazioni di carattere sociologico. Il che mette questo testo una spanna sopra molto altre storie della fotografia.