Product Description
by Andrew E. Hershberger (Author)
Hershberger is the winner of a 2015 Insight Award from the Society for Photographic Education for his work on this book and for his overall contributions to the field!
Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology presents a compendium of readings spanning ancient times to the digital age that are related to the history, nature, and current status of debates in photographic theory.
- Offers an authoritative and academically up-to-date compendium of the history of photographic theory
- Represents the only collection to include ancient, Renaissance, and 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century writings related to the subject
- Stresses the drama of historical and contemporary debates within theoretical circles
- Features comprehensive coverage of recent trends in digital photography
- Fills a much-needed gap in the existing literature
Back Jacket
PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY An Historical Anthology
Edited by Andrew E. Hershberger
"A canonical volume long overdue, smartly constructed, comprehensive and up-to-date, Hershberger's introductory commentaries are thoughtful, and insightful. Readers uninitiated and scholarly alike will find much to appreciate. Highly recommended!" Fredrik Marsh, Guggenheim Fellow
"Hershberger brings the theoretical lineage of photography together in a delightful chronology from early notions of the image to today's digital revolution. It constructs a historical framework for the novice, and provides titillating insights for the cognoscenti." Robert Ladislas Derr, The Ohio State University
Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology offers contemporary readers a comprehensive resource of pertinent articles and information spanning the history of photographic theory, including critical texts first published in Alfred Stieglitz's seminal journal, Camera Work.
Chronologically-organized readings address the entire sweep of photographic theory and thought--from its pre-history and emergence circa 1839; through its evolution within Pictorialism, Modernism, and Postmodernism; and into its startling metamorphosis within contemporary digital imaging. Interdisciplinary issues such as photography's relationships to vision, identity, history, and memory are also examined. Readings reveal the main debates and issues surrounding the nature of photography: What is photography? Is it objective, subjective, transparent, and/or transcendent? Is a photograph a document, a trace, a fetish, an index, and/or a work of art? Is digital photography "photography" at all? Etc. Embodying the entirety of photographic intellectual history, Photographic Theory vividly illustrates the dramatic storylines and impassioned debates that continue to swirl within photographic theory--and is a volume that is certain to click with scholars and students alike.
Author Biography
Andrew E. Hershberger is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Chair of Art History at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He has published numerous journal articles in History of Photography, Art Journal, Early Popular Visual Culture, Analecta Husserliana, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Academe, and Arts of Asia.
