Photography in the post war era
Coursework Assignments:
One 1000-word exhibition review (25% weighting)
One 1000-word review of a self-chosen exhibition linked to the themes of the module. The review aims to test your understanding and ability to respond critically to the material on display in the exhibition.
The review also encourages an awareness of the various types of writing appropriate to photography in different contexts and you are encouraged to find a style appropriate to your chosen exhibition.
The review should include a representative sample of imagery and (if available online) installation shot(s) of the exhibition.
For further information see guidelines below.
Note: Due to the disruption of access to galleries resulting from the Covid-19 situation, the assignment may also be addressed by the use of online sources only, rather than requiring an actual gallery visit. Many galleries have responded in a big way to the challenge of presenting work online and there are many innovative means of exhibiting work now available, so the assignment can be a great opportunity to consider how successful you consider they are.
One 3000-word essay chosen from the list of titles below:
1. Using the work of either William Klein or Robert Frank, critically analyse the shift in postwar documentary photography from the humanist model of Cartier-Bresson, to a far more subjective and personal style of photography.
2. Should we accept the many highly critical readings of the Family of Man exhibition as variously ‘vulgar, idealised, sentimentalised, … ideological’ etc. (Sarah E. James, ‘A Post-fascist Family of Man?’, p.318), or is there merit in the far more positive readings of Sandeen, Turner and others?
3. “Political, psychological, and aesthetic discourse around the turn of the century consistently and obsessively genders mass culture and the masses as feminine, while high culture, whether traditional or modern, clearly remains in the privileged realm of male activities.” Critically discuss this quote, making detailed reference to the work of up to three Pop artists.
4. Using appropriate visual examples, critically analyse how recent developments within Mexican photography are closely linked to the social and political history of the country.
5. How might the concept of ‘trauma’ assist us in a critical understanding of the photographs and photobook projects produced in the wake of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
6. Critically analyse the role played by photography in the Conceptual art movement of the period ca.1965-1976.
OR:
What is the significance of the ‘conceptual’ in current photographic art practice? Your essay should focus on projects by up to three artists/photographers.
7. Postmodern photographic practice questioned, critiqued, and opposed Modernist notions of photography in a number of different ways. Critically discuss ONE of these strategies, including a detailed discussion of no more than three examples in your answer.
8. Why is the photograph so closely associated with the concept of ‘memory’ and with archives? Critically analyse these relationships using specific visual examples.
9. Drawing on readings from the reading list as well as your own research, discuss the way that globalisation is addressed in landscape photography. Refer to the work of no more than three photographers in your answer.’
10. Drawing on your own research as well as readings from the reading list, discuss some of the ways that land artists and/or photographers reflect on the relationship between humanity and nature. you can discuss up to three different artists in your response.
Digital submission using the Turnitin box on the Blackboard site. You can overwrite submissions right up to the deadline and can use the similarity check to resolve any referencing issues.
Assessment criteria for CW1 and CW2:
Exhibition Review:
Express critical appreciation of the exhibited work and identification of the ideas that support it (LO 1,2)
Demonstrate research of the artist(s) and the context of the exhibition (LO 1,2)
Present an informed and coherent review in a writing style appropriate for an online magazine or similar publication (LO 1).
Use relevant visual material (LO 1,2,).
Present work consistent with academic standards and professional protocols including Harvard referencing and representation and credits of images (LO 1,4)
Essay:
Organisation and structure in making a coherent argument relevant to the essay title (LO 4);
Application of concepts in historical or aesthetic photographic theory to examples in support of an argument (LO 1, 3);
Evidence of independent research and critical assessment of sources (LO 2,3);
Presentation and investigation of relevant case studies and examples (LO 2,3);
Presentation of work consistent with academic standards and professional protocols including Harvard referencing and representation and credits of images (LO 4).
