Pentium History of Audiovision: History of Photography 2

Display Schedule

Subject guarantor:

Tomáš DVOŘÁK

Name of lecturer(s):

Tomáš DVOŘÁK

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Students are introduced to the history of photography, media and visual culture of the 19th century and contemporary theory and historical approaches to the topic.

Mode of study:

Lecture

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

Grading:

credit awarded at the end of the semester.

Conditions: obligatory performance presentation before other classmates of any photographer during the semester and submission of the essay for that presentation.

Course contents:

10.2. Formalism and photography (Josef Ledvina)

According to formalistic aesthetic doctrine the main sources of an artistic piece's worth is its formal quality. Photography initially attempted to reach the status of an artistic field by assimmiliating traditional (non-modernist) painting procedures. These were primarily followers of direct photography, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, systematically hailed the formal quality of their shots at the expense of the content. After WWII, Long-time Head of the MoMA, John Szrakowski attempted to define the particulars in the course of media history developing the formal quality of the photographic image At the turn of the 1970s to 1980s his approach was subject to criticism (Allan Sekula, Rosalind Krauss, and others.).

Rosalind KRAUSS, „Diskurzivní prostory fotografie“ (1982). In: Karel CÍSAŘ (ed.), Co je to fotografie?, Praha: Herrmann & synové 2004, s. 151-169.

17.2. The Photographic Avant-garde in Soviet Russia and in Germany in the 1920s (Robert Silverio)

The lecture will focus on constructivistic photography in the Bauhaus environment. This will cover the inter-disciplinary activities of some main figures in this field. Emphasis is place on the influence photography had on other media. Part of the lecture is a comparison with Russian constructivist photography.

László MOHOLY-NAGY, Painting, Photography, Film. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press 1969, pp. 27-40.

24.2. Photography in Surrealistic Imagination (Robert Silverio)

Surrealistic photography is strongly linked to surrealism in painting and literature. Its particulars, no less, exceeding the borders of genre and technique. Of import is the influence of collage. This will be compared with staged surrealistic photography and photography using unusual technical procedures with objet trouve processes, important in particular after WWII. The lecture focuses on the French and also Czech surrealism and their inter-twinings.

André BRETON, „Manifest surrealismu 1924.“ Analogon, 16/1996, Sen, vize s skutečnost, s. i-x.

2.3. The Czech Avant-garde in the context of the contemporary world photographic avant-garde (Robert Silverio).

The Czech inter-war photographic avant-garde is one of the most significant in the world of the inter-war photographic avant-garde. Among its basic features, which distinguish it from the situation in Germany, Russia or France, are relatively little connections of individual artists with other arts fields except the surrealists. It is also remarkable that in this we find a great number of styles, that is elements of various styles of constructivism, surrealism and the new era and the particulars of Czech poetism. Though a great part of avant-garde iconography is supra-national, some formal features are in many artists and have the character of local iconography (ex: favored projection of shadow). It is necessary to arrange into this solitary artists, who diverge from a narrower the definition of the avant-garde (F. Drtikol, J. Sudek).

Karel TEIGE, „Poetismus.“ Avantgarda známá a neznámá. Praha: Svoboda, 1970. str. 254-61.

9.3. War documentary and propaganda photography (Robert Silverio)

War photography in the 20th century made a fundamental change in photography. From sober shots through iconic and influential photo-journalistic war photography, and significant for WWII and in the Vietnam War reached the margins of the public. Its influence and societal impact will be compared with non-professional war photography documentary on one side and official propaganda photography on the other.

Susan SONTAG, S bolestí druhých před očima. Praha: Paseka 2011, s. 16-32.

16.3. Photographi in the 1960s capturing the cultural shift in Europe and the USA (Robert Silverio)

16.3. Fotografie v 60. letech 20. st. zachycující kulturní zlom v Evropě a USA (Robert Silverio)

The 1960s are often perceived as a cataclysmic revolutionary decade. This lecture covers the iconic photography in that decade across genres. Along this is placed research, journalistic, advertising and amateur photography in which the analysis is linked to historical events and a general overall societal context.

Umberto ECO, Skeptikové a těšitelé. Praha: Svoboda 1995, s. 31-59.

23.3. Photography exhibitions (Pavel Vančát)

The lecture is devoted to selected exhibitions in the history of photography and focuses on changes in the understanding of aesthetics and significance of photography exhibitions. Beginning in the 1940s, through the exhibitions of pictorialists to Dadaist and constructivist exhibitions (Film and Photo, Stuttgart) this tracks the formal interweaving of photography and other media. The Family of Man exhibition is the culmination of this tendency and official political demonstration of post-war humanism.

Fred TURNER, „The Family of Man and the Politics of Attention in Cold War America.“ Public Culture, vol. 24, 2012, no.1, pp. 55-84.

30.3. Institutionalization of photography as an artistic field (Pavel Vančát)

This lecture traces the linking of photography into the canon of modern art and the gradual re-invention of photography practice from amateur to professional. This emancipation of photography culminated in the 1970s and accompanies it en-mass in the formation museum collections, university studies and the gallery market as we know it today.

Abigail SOLOMON-GODEAU, „Fotografie po umělecké fotografii.“ in: Karel Císař (ed.), Co je to fotografie? Praha: Herrmann & synové 2004, s. 319-339.

6.4. Amateur, vernacular and naive photography (Pavel Vančát)

The lecture is linked to the previous and covers photography of artists outside the modernist canon of photography into which they were often absorbed. This this covers talented amateur (Jacques-Henri Lartigue) artists using photography (Warhol, Ruscha, and others), or artists on the border of naive pieces (Miroslav Tichý, Michal Kalhous),their examples clarify the borders and topics of classical modern photography and manners of the construction of the photography history canon

Andy GRUNDBERG, „Art and Photography, Photography and Art: Across the Modernist Membrane.“ in: Elisabeth Janus (ed.), Veronica's Revenge: Contemporary Perspectives on Photography. Zurich: Scalo1998, pp. ???

13.4. Changes is documentary photography (Hana Buddeus)

This lecture covers the basic turnovers in the history and theory of documentary photography, from the formation of the documentary genre and social photography (Lewis Hine), through the documentation of historical monuments (Mission heliographique), photograph activity of the Farm Security Administration (Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange), critical documentaries of the 1970s and 80s (Martha Rosler, Allan Sekula, Victor Burgin) to the documentary reversal in art at the turn of the 21st century. We focus not only on the changes in documentary style, but also, on the wider issue of the relationship of the photographed, the one photographing and the viewer and issues of photography as a political tool.

Martha ROSLER, „V ní, kolem ní a další postřehy (o dokumentární fotografii)“, in: Martina PACHMANOVÁ (ed.), Martha Rosler, kat. výst., Praha: Langhans Galerie 2008

20.4. Photography in conceptual art (Hana Buddeus)

The lecture focuses on the use of photography in conceptual art and performative type arts and their particular aesthetics, defined in the tradition of artistic photography. We will look at the pieces in the canon of foreign artists (Ed Ruscha, Dan Graham and others) and their theory reviews (Jeff Wall, Nancy Foote). As well we will present related phenomena in Czech art (Pavel Vančát / Jan Freiberg: fotografie??).

Jeff WALL, „,Známky lhostejnosti'. Aspekty fotografie (jako) konceptuálního umění“, Sešit pro umění, teorii a příbuzné zóny, 2012, č. 12, s. 58-100.

27.4. Japanese photography 1920 - 80 (Robert Silverio)

Japanese photography artists, after WWII boomed. It was significantly influenced by American and European photography but they were still able to maintain some autonomous cultural features. The lecture is a cross-section of the pieces of leading figures in Japanese photography from the 1940s to the 80s supplemented by an analysis of international influences. The phenomenon of Japanese photography books is underscored.

Anne TUCKER - Ktar IIZAWA - Naoyuki KINOSHITA, The History of Japanese Photography. New Haven: Yale University Press 2003, pp. ???

4.5. Issues with the Post-modern (Josef Ledvina)

Post-modernism presents a significant concept about whose content, along with and in a small measure, has been debated. Efforts to make it into a universal periodizational category for artistic production of a given period (most frequently the 1970s and 80s) have in principle failed because of diverse individual, group or professional „post-modern“ programs. Along withthe basic presentation of the period discussions on post-modernism, the lecture will cover, primarily, theory conscious work of artists of the so called Pictures Generation (Cindy Sherman, Sherrie Levine, Jack Goldstein and others), for whom photography represented a key tool.

Douglas CRIMP, „Fotografie jako postmoderní aktivita“ (1980). In: Karel CÍSAŘ (ed.), Co je to fotografie?, Praha: Herrmann & synové 2004, s. 305-317.

11.5. New Media theory and photography (Tomáš Dvořák)

The lecture provides an overview and critical analysis of theory approaches to new media from the 1990s to the present with an emphasis on the changes in form and function of the photographic image. It covers, primarily, the shift from „realistic“ forms of representation, dominating the 20th century (photography, film, television, virtual reality), to technological predominating in the present: databases, geographic information systems and vizualization of data.

Jay David BOLTER - Richard GRUSIN, „Imediace, hypermediace, remediace.“ in: T. Dvořák (ed.), Kapitoly z dějin a teorie médií. Praha: AVU 2010, s. 69-93.

Recommended or required reading:

See course content

readings for downloading:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B36pcjuZK5yyUW1rVWNzMXRBclU

Assessment methods and criteria:

A requirement for completing the course attendance requirements (max. 2 absences per semester are tolerated), submission of both required results (if not submitted then only one paper on the assigned date, overall course grade: F).

The following grades are determined by the content of the two results (100-90% = A, 90-80% = B, 80-70% = C, 70-60% = D, 60-50% = E, 50-0% = F).

40% - 1st written paper of 2 -3 standard pages, describing and interpreting a selected photograph of the 20th century

Due date: 10.4.2016

60% - 2nd written assignment: final essay on a given topic, 5-10 pages, deadline: 12 June 2016

the exam will have the form of a discussion of both texts with the teacher

Course web page:

Note:

This course is for the 1st and 2nd years of study together and takes place once every two years. It is registered for the 2014-2015 school year.

Further information:

This course is an elective for all AMU students

Schedule for winter semester 2015/2016:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2015/2016:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Wed	místnost 124 Projekce FAMU (Lažanský palác) DVOŘÁK T. 14:50–18:05 (přednášková par. 1)
Thu
Fri

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
	Wed	14:50–18:05	Tomáš DVOŘÁK	Projekce FAMU Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1

The subject is a part of the following study plans:

• Photography CZ - Bachelor (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Restoring of Photogrphy (faculty subject, optional subject)