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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
An interesting discussion into whether violence of wars should be viewed by the public. It was an easy read, and something I had never considered before, but I found the last two chapters completely repeated themselves. These kinds of discussions will never not be relevant unfortunately.
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, War
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
უმეტესად მოსაწყენი იყო. 15-20 გვერდში ბევრად კომპაქტურად და ამომწურავად ილაპარაკებდა იმაზე, რასაც 100 გაწელილი გვერდი დაუთმო.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
A really, really strong start, a good middle and a weak finish. It seems that Sontag often gets lost in the pleasure of restating her arguments without really adding much more nuance to them.
I think the better way to read this is as a catalogue of important war photos of the last century, with Sontag occasionally pointing out the more eye-catching features, both inside the picture and out, not as an essay book. Still, a good perspective to have in mind as our timelines are flooded with photos of carnage. Wondering what she would've thought of this amplification of everything she was describing in the book - tele-intimacy in your hands, 24/7. Can't really look away from it, can you?
I think the better way to read this is as a catalogue of important war photos of the last century, with Sontag occasionally pointing out the more eye-catching features, both inside the picture and out, not as an essay book. Still, a good perspective to have in mind as our timelines are flooded with photos of carnage. Wondering what she would've thought of this amplification of everything she was describing in the book - tele-intimacy in your hands, 24/7. Can't really look away from it, can you?
informative
medium-paced
Sontag is a succinct writer and in this short book covers several provocations on photography and war. Answering questions like: how is the field of photography different from film, art, dance, etc? What’s the relation of amateur work to professional work, and why is some prioritized over others? What is a photo? Her views are applicable to many contemporary events as well as the broader relation of western culture to oppressed states around the world and their respective representations in media.
As someone interested in photography, this is a must read; and there are so many ideas in this book that I have yet to consider, and those ideas pervade most of our daily lives- news reels, cameras, social media, political campaigns, advertisements, protests, the list goes on. In all there’s at least something to be gained from reading Susan Sontag’s book (and I’m sure the precursor, On Photography, is equally provocative).
Photography is relevant to history because-as Sontag deconstructs- most people learn history and experience historic events through images and digital reconstructions. History textbooks and renaissance artists alike use images to describe these events in accessible ways, but we have to be critical and understanding of the roles these representations have played over the years. I think this book is a great summary of how we can start to be more critical of said images. Photos as well as videos and television broadcasts also play a role in the justice system: the ubiquitous presence and democratic dispersal of phone cameras have impacted the last decades protest movements and mobilized populations, as we get more exposed to violence we also get access to violent images that we’ve never seen before. Despite apathy or perceived insensitivity a lot of these new representations break through.
Her arguments also play a role in contemporary art gallery design and memorial design, as in most of the book she breaks down the relation of pain and sympathy relative to tragedies. At times her ideas have literally shaped art exhibitions. The argument of objectification through image representation is furthered by the likes of Hito Steyerl and Thomas Hirschorn, a few of the artists arguing that image *resolution* adds another variable to Sontag’s concept. Hirschorn’s “The Purple Line” is a brilliant physical construction of Sontag’s ideas, adding the aspect of consent to image hyper-circulation. Steyerl’s “the Wretched of the Screen” is a must.
As someone interested in photography, this is a must read; and there are so many ideas in this book that I have yet to consider, and those ideas pervade most of our daily lives- news reels, cameras, social media, political campaigns, advertisements, protests, the list goes on. In all there’s at least something to be gained from reading Susan Sontag’s book (and I’m sure the precursor, On Photography, is equally provocative).
Photography is relevant to history because-as Sontag deconstructs- most people learn history and experience historic events through images and digital reconstructions. History textbooks and renaissance artists alike use images to describe these events in accessible ways, but we have to be critical and understanding of the roles these representations have played over the years. I think this book is a great summary of how we can start to be more critical of said images. Photos as well as videos and television broadcasts also play a role in the justice system: the ubiquitous presence and democratic dispersal of phone cameras have impacted the last decades protest movements and mobilized populations, as we get more exposed to violence we also get access to violent images that we’ve never seen before. Despite apathy or perceived insensitivity a lot of these new representations break through.
Her arguments also play a role in contemporary art gallery design and memorial design, as in most of the book she breaks down the relation of pain and sympathy relative to tragedies. At times her ideas have literally shaped art exhibitions. The argument of objectification through image representation is furthered by the likes of Hito Steyerl and Thomas Hirschorn, a few of the artists arguing that image *resolution* adds another variable to Sontag’s concept. Hirschorn’s “The Purple Line” is a brilliant physical construction of Sontag’s ideas, adding the aspect of consent to image hyper-circulation. Steyerl’s “the Wretched of the Screen” is a must.