Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Essay Available:
Pages:
3 pages/≈825 words
Sources:
Check Instructions
Style:
Chicago
Subject:
Visual & Performing Arts
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 10.8
Topic:

Impact of Photographs in Human Life

Essay Instructions:

A Difficult Decision
It is 1861 and a committee has been struck by Prince Albert to decide where photographs should be displayed at the forthcoming 1862 International Exhibition in London. Displays of photographs had been included in the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and in the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris, and had raised concerns about their proper place at such events.
Some committee members think photographs should be included in the Fine Arts wing; others insist that they ought to be placed in the halls celebrating national and colonial progress; a few think they ought to be attached to the technological and scientific exhibits; and, ever the diplomat, the Prince has suggested that, given the differences of opinion, perhaps they ought to be displayed in more than one place!
To help break the stalemate, the Committee has decided to hire a consultant. Because of your expertise in the history of photography, and your familiarity with the writings of the great British, French, and American critics of art and photography (see below), you have been asked to prepare a brief position paper for consideration by the Prince and his Committee members.
Charles Baudelaire (French), “The Salon of 1859: an excerpt,” in Charles Harrison (ed.), Art in Theory 1815-1900: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (New York: Blackwell Press, 1992), 666-668.
Lady Elizabeth Eastlake (British), an excerpt from "Art.V," in The London Quarterly Review (American Edition), Volume CI (January-April 1857): 442-468. Reproduced by photokaboom.com, 1-15.
William Lake Price (United States), "Introduction," A Manual of Photographic Manipulation, treating of the Practice of the Art; and its Various applications to Nature. 2nd ed., London: John Churchill & Sons, MDCCCLXV111; reprint edition New York: Arno Press, 1973, pp.1-9.
John Ruskin (British), "Various Writings, 1845-1879: excerpts," in Vicki Goldberg (ed.), Photography in Print: Writings from 1816 to the Present (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1981), 152-153.
Based on your interpretation of the above texts, write a position paper of 750-1000 words to help the Committee make an informed decision. Your paper must:
1.summarize the key ideas of each critic
2.reflect on the ways each provides a divergent attitude to photography and its role(s) in society as an image-making technology or social practice.
3.taking into account what the critics think and what the (19th century British public eager about the upcoming 1862 International Exhibition) public assumes about photography, present recommendations to the Prince and his Committee regarding the place(s) where photographs might best be displayed at the upcoming International Exhibition
4.use at least two examples of images taken in or before 1861 from Rosenblum (include the images, a caption for the images, and reference number form the textbook)
5.no need for additional research beyond the 4 essays above and Rosenblum, but sources used should be cited in Chicago Manual of Style (https://www(dot)chicagomanualofstyle(dot)org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html (Links to an external site.)

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Position Paper
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
Photographs are a part of human life whose impact is debatable. Photography literary refers to drawing using light. Therefore, photography is the process of recording, alternatively drawing, and image on a light-sensitive screen. Photographs reproduce and store objects in a permanent form. In exhibitions, photographs have a distinct role in enhancing the exhibition's success, but their placement in the exhibition venues and wings creates debates as different people have various opinions. However, photographs should appear in multiple places in the exhibition depending on the dedicated functions of the wing since having them in multiple places will help reinforce the theme of the exhibitions. The photographs should be selected according to their contents when deciding where to place them.
Charles Baudelaire, on Photography, from The Salon of 1859, does not recognize photography as an art because of its realism. The French poet, art critic, and essayist says, "It is useless and tedious to represent what exists because nothing that exists satisfies me…. I prefer the monsters of my fantasy to what is positively trivial" (Baudelaire, 1992, 667). According to him, things that exist do not satisfy people's eyes. Instead, there should be creativity and fantasy in a technology like photography to present extraordinary objects. Therefore, according to Baudelaire, photographs are unimportant, meaning he would not place any weight on their display in an exhibition.
In Hill and Adamson's Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, Elizabeth Eastlake gives a positive opinion about photography. She credits the sun for giving light that helps in producing photographs. She also acknowledges photography as an art rather than a mere mechanical process of copying and storing images. According to Elizabeth, light-sensitive paper is female while light is male. The fusion of the two conceives and gives birth to photography. Elizabeth argues that photography unites people from different backgrounds and regions. They also act as a source of knowledge. Photographs educate people about the past because they store information from the past and make it available at present. She says that photography is a means and not an end (Eastlake, 1857, 14). It means that it delivers knowledge to regions and generations. The main function of photographs is to give facts without taking sides. Therefore, Elizabeth strongly emphasizes the need to give weight to photographs because they are crucial in society.
William Lake Price, in his work "Introduction," A Manual of Photographic Manipulation, treating of the Practice of the Art; and its Various applications to Nature gives a similar critic about photography as Elizabeth. Price argues that photographs are a rich source of knowledge. Images store various issues, designs, and opinions, making them accessible to people in the current and future generations. He gives an example of architectural designs. They are dynamic and evolve over time. They also get old, losing their original shape and taste. Ph...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:
Order

👀 Other Visitors are Viewing These Chicago Essay Samples:

HIRE A WRITER FROM $11.95 / PAGE
ORDER WITH 15% DISCOUNT!
Order Now