When it comes to discussing the discursive significance of photography, it is important to understand that, as a representational art-medium, it emerged because of the pace of a technological progress having assumed clearly defined exponential subtleties. In its turn, this presupposes that the art of photography is not only being technologically intense, but that this art’s conceptual legitimacy reflects the perceptual/cognitive sophistication of those who are expected to appreciate it.
This, of course, challenges the conventional paradigm of art, as a ‘thing in itself’. Apparently, the rise of photography implies that the very notion of aesthetics cannot be thought of outside of what appears to be the discursively predetermined manner, in which intellectually advanced individuals tend to perceive the surrounding socio-cultural reality.
The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated in regards to a number of photos, which now enjoy a certain ‘cult’ status. For example, even though that the 1930 photograph Pepper by Edward Weston depicts a rather commonplace vegetable, which people get to consume regularly, the photo’s object can be described as anything but ordinarily looking.
One of the reasons for this is that there is a strong sexual appeal to it. Nevertheless, in order for just about anyone to confirm the validity of this suggestion, and consequently to be able to appreciate the artwork in question, he or she needs to be cognitively attuned with what happened to be the 20th century’s probably most important discourse – the discourse of sexuality.
Alexander Rodchenko’s 1925 photograph Man on the Ladder, can also be referred to, as such confirm the legitimacy of the idea that every historical era defines the measure of the affiliated artwork’s aesthetic appeal. As it can be well seen in this photo, the author used a rather unusual viewpoint, while taking it.
In its turn, this reflected the fact that during the course of the 20th century’s initial phase, the classical conventions of physics have been thoroughly revised, due to the emergence of the Theory of Relativity. This, of course, created objective preconditions for photographers to consider it fully appropriate to strive to exploit people’s anxieties, in regards this theory’s discursive implications.
The invention of digital photography provided photographers with a yet additional instrument of ensuring that potential spectators would be intrigued, while exposed to the digitally mastered photographic artworks, such as combining a few different images into a single one, in order to emphasize the sheer intensity of the action depicted.
The 1995 photographic collage Self-Destruction by Chen Chieh-Jen exemplifies this statement perfectly well. Apparently, while creating the earlier mentioned collage, Chieh-Jen was perfectly aware of what accounts for the essence of contemporary people’s aesthetic longings – such as their taste for savoring the graphic details of death.
Essentially the same can be said about what accounts for the discursively defined aesthetic appeal of the photographic images of those people who jumped out of the Twin Towers (due to intense heat), in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks (Carolee Schneemann, Terminal Velocity, 2001).
It is now being commonly suggested that the popularity of these images signifies ‘the loss of innocence’, on the part of America (Fitzpatrick 86). Nevertheless, this ‘loss’ is best discussed, as such that does not simply reflect recent geopolitical developments in the world, but rather as such that is being concerned with the process of Americans becoming intellectually/aesthetically marginalized – hence, their attraction to the emotionally disturbing photographic images.
This confirms the soundness of the initially proposed idea that the emergence of photography once again proved the non-existence of art, as a purely metaphysical construct.
One of the 20th century’s major discursive developments is the fact that people attained a rather multi-dimensional understanding, as to what accounts for their individuality. In its turn, this can be explained by the rise of psychology, as a science that implies that there is no ‘wholesomeness’ the sense of one’s self-identity.
Therefore, it is fully explainable why, during the course of this century, the medium of photography has been extensively used, as the mean of gaining an in-depth insight into the quintessence of people’s existential modes. Apparently, the photography’s very paradigmatic technicalities make it possible (Sherman 926).
In this respect, the photograph from Sherry Levine’s 1979 Presidential Series (featuring the image of a classy looking young woman inside of some man’s transparent silhouette), comes in rather exemplary.
This is because the earlier mentioned photographic artwork implies that the depicted lady’s ‘classiness’ can be well regarded, as such that reflects her endowment with essentially masculine (hard) psychological qualities – hence, the ice-coldness of her blue eyes. It is needless to be mentioned, of course, that this in turn prompts observers to consider the possibility that one’s sense of identity only formally relates to what happened to be the concerned individual’s gender.
Another interesting photograph, which can be referred to, as such that confirms the initial thesis’s validity, is Barbara Kruger’s 1981 Untitled poster. As it can be well seen on it, the author made a deliberate point in representing the half of the depicted woman’s face in negative.
The motivation, behind Kruger’s decision, in this respect, is quite clear – she wanted to emphasize the fact that there are mutually contradictory desires inside of one’s mind, which is why there can indeed be very little rationale in assuming that the ways of a particular person’s character could be well anticipated. The clearly post-modernist essence of this subtly conveyed message is quite obvious.
It also represents a common practice, among today’s photographers, to explore the motifs of classical (specifically romanticist) paintings within the contemporary settings. In this respect, Gregory Crewdson’s 2001 digital print Untitled (Ophelia) comes in particularly illustrative.
By having created it, the author was able to promote the idea that people’s sense of existential idealism is a discursive category – due to the realities of a post-industrial living, one’s mental clinging to the noumenons of the past can hardly be justified. This, of course, advances the idea that it is specifically external circumstances which construct people’s sense of identity and not vice versa.
Finally, we can make mentioning of Andreas Gursky’s 1993 color print Paris, Montparnasse, as such implies that the integrity of people’s sense of self-identity is becoming increasingly weakened, due to the fact that in today’s world, it is specifically one’s willingness to be ‘just like others’, which reflects his or her chances of securing its place under the sun. It is understood, of course, that by adapting uniformity, as the integral part of their individuality, people grow ever more ‘faceless’ – just like the apartment-cubicles, in which they reside.
I believe that the earlier deployed line of argumentation is fully consistent with this paper’s initial thesis.
Works Cited
Fitzpatrick, Andrea. “The Movement of Vulnerability: Images of Falling and
September 11.” Art Journal 66.4 (2007): 84-102. Print.
Sherman, Cindy. “Statement, 1982.” Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art:
A Sourcebook of Artists’ Writings. Ed. Kristine Stiles and Peter Howard Selz. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006. 926-928. Print.