Lecture: When is photography art? by Arjen van Prooijen (in Dutch)
In 1880, Kodak advertised with the slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest". This made photography seem not exactly an artistic medium.
Where
SCHUNCK Glaspaleis
Price
€ 5,-
The invention of photography in the first half of the 19th century had a major impact on painting. By 1849, more than 100,000 Daguerreotype portraits had been photographed in Paris alone. This cheap registration of reality seemed to make the painted portrait obsolete. However, the innovative styles in painting of the second half of the 19th century offered plenty of alternatives. It is interesting to determine what position photography had in relation to painting. We will look at how photography and painting influenced each other.
That photography is an autonomous art medium today will not surprise anyone. Yet most photographs are not works of art. So what makes us consider a photograph a work of art? What are the criteria that determine how this was viewed in the 19th century?
In the story, we follow the development of (art) photography. We will also look at many works by contemporary photographers/artists. Attention will also be paid to the documentary photography of Bertien van Manen and the exhibition in SCHUNCK. With various examples, Arjen van Prooijen will surprise and draw the visitor into the different views on this subject.
About Arjen van Prooijen
Arjen works as a lecturer in visual arts and art history at the Institute of Arts and the Maastricht Academy of Music. He is also chairman of the determination committee of the CvTE Art History (tehatex). He also gives lectures and courses on art-related subjects. Arjen is also active as a visual artist.