The Importance Of Photography : A Form Of Art

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the

There has been a long standing argument as to whether photography can be paralleled with traditional art forms such as painting, lithography, and sketching. The frame of reference of this research is the concept of photography as an art form. Through scholarly and practical research, I will compare different ideologies of how photography has been accepted and thought of since its invention, as well as visual examples of work that portray both photographic and artistic qualities. With the main question within this topic being can photography be considered art?, the objectives I seek to clarify are the grounds for which one defines art and for which one defines photography.

Jeff Koons builds on the Duchampian tradition of ready-made materials in the production of art. Koons brings the art objects out of mainstream culture and pushes them to their ultimate limit, compared to the ordinary and frequently mass produced objects that Marcel Duchamp reimagined as art objects such as the bicycle wheel and the urinal. For Duchamp however, this act was one of supreme skepticism. As the New York Review of Books art critic Jed Perl explains in his critique of Jeff Koons’ Whitney Museum Retrospective “The Cult of Jeff Koons,” Duchamp differs from Koons in that Duchamp’s production of ready-made objects was a result of a need for art to become understood on a deeper level by questioning its function in the sphere of history.

I feel as if we have asked the question, “Is photography an art?” and “Can photography be considered a type of language?” many times in this quarter and we still cannot get a direct answer. Additionally, the truth of the matter is that we will never really know if it is because people have different opinions of what is art. For instance, in “Literacy and Picturacy,” Heffernan explains that there is something real behind every photograph. He explains that photographs allows to see the story that is being told instead of simply reading it. Earlier in the quarter we also read “On photography” in which Barthes claims that photography is not an art because it is simply an imitation of reality. In other words, he is saying that photography is just

When you hear the word urinal what comes to mind? A dirty, smelly men’s bathroom with shiny porcelain contraption on the wall? What if I told you a urinal was art, and a replica is on display at The Philadelphia Museum of Art(). You see, Marcel Duchamp used a urinal to create his artwork "Fountain", which is simply a urinal with the words "R. Mutt 1917" inscribed on it in. Duchamp was part of a movement called Dada which questioned all the contemporary structures and rules of art (). What is art and how is Duchamp's "Fountain" any less art than da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"? To appreciate art, it is important to explain concepts of artistic form, content and participation.

Notwithstanding anyone specific expertise or knowledge of painting technique, each of us can quantify beauty as it relates to art in our own minds. We can see the growth of art and how it provokes emotion, understanding, and experimentation over time. Over the course of time, it appears that art, artist, and the lovers of the various periods of art seem to move beyond a name or basic aesthetics of style and venture into a deeper more comparative analysis of the work and its position in our culture.

R Mutt’s Fountain, is considered one of Duchamp’s most famous works, and “is widely seen as an icon of twentieth century art” . The original, which is lost, consisted of a standard urinal, presented on its back, with “R Mutt 1917” written on the side of it. Although the original was lost, 17 known replicas have been made from glazed earthenware, painted to resemble the original porcelain. R Mutt’s Fountain has been seen as an ultimate example of what Duchamp called a ‘readymade’; an ordinary manufactured object designated by the artist as a work of art. The French artist was known for associating his art with conceptual and Dadaism ideas, coining the term ‘anti-art’, a precursor to Dada, after creating ready made works such as R Mutt’s Fountain.

Our second artwork it named Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp in 1912. This style of work is called Futurism and honors movement and contempt for the past. Duchamp was known internationally

"A photograph is not merely a substitute for a glance. It is a sharpened vision. It is the revelation of new and important facts." ("Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History."). Sid Grossman, a Photo League photographer expressed this sentiment, summarizing the role photography had on America in the 1940’s and 50’s. During this era, photojournalism climaxed, causing photographers to join the bandwagon or react against it. The question of whether photography can be art was settled a long time ago. Most major museums now have photography departments, and the photographs procure pretty hefty prices. The question of whether photojournalism or documentary photography can be art is now the question at hand. Art collectors are constantly looking

Marcel Duchamp was an innovative groundbreaking artist who during his lifetime continually pushed the boundaries of the current art scene. Due to his pioneering in art, he had a definitive influence upon artistic styles to come. Duchamp is typically grouped in to the Dadaist or Surrealist movements, however his involvement in the art world is worth more than just being placed into a category. In particular, his work “The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even” or “The Large Glass” shows just how much he can test the limits of art during his time.

After reading about the controversial artworks, I found that most of these artwork are labeled the way they are because they don’t fit social norm or it is either related to a touchy topic subject matter. In my opinion, I feel that artworks such as Marcel Duchamp, Fountain (1917) and Dana Schutz’s Open Casket (2016) are necessary in our society, because they create new perspective, tell ignored narratives, and etc. The Fountain is readymade urinal that is rotated and signed on the pedestal is “R Mutt”. This artwork it challenges the boundaries of what should be considered art and redefine the definition of art. I found the Fountain to be very fascinating because not only it was a bought urinal, I am amazed on how Duchamp transformed a simple

In the early 1960s, most photographs were taken for a purpose, and that purpose was for news articles, magazines, or advertisement. There was very little consideration of photography as art. This change in the way photography was approached was in large part to photographers such as Garry Winogrand, who turned photography into an art.

Fernand Leger said that an artist has one chance to “rise to the plane of beauty by considering everything that surrounds him as raw material”. As time passes artists have found numerous ways to appeal to various audiences through their own forms of expression. One in particular who has covered many different forms of expression is Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp truly embodied Leger’s ideals for an artist and constantly thought of new ways to express his feelings through his art and made the viewers think. While Duchamp’s early artwork was more traditional, his piece Nude descending a staircase, No. 2 truly started a change in his outlook and issued in a new era.

Pablo Picasso was a forerunner of what is acknowledged as “modern art.” He has remained a very influential figure in 20th century art, and his artwork has been highly respected and admired for several years. Now, over one hundred years later, Picasso continues to be a leading figure in the art world, even after his unfortunate passing, and many artists from younger generations are still learning about his highly influential art. His innovations of an anti-realistic style – comprised of unnatural facial and body renditions; dark, dystopian tones and moods that emphasize context; and practices that stray from the norm of the time – allowed Picasso to create unique and outstanding work that nobody has been able to accomplish before. Picasso sparked the beginning of the Cubism movement with Les Demoiselles D’avignon (1907). This monumental piece strayed so far away from the naturalist, impressionist, and post-impressionist styles, that he ultimately set the standard for new possibilities of what art could be – therefore reinventing the language of art.

Marcel Duchamp’s [1887-1968] influence on the modern art world is universally recognized. His legacy remains even today unparalleled; th