This essay is from Crisis of the Real: Writings on Photography, 1974-1989, by Andy Grundberg. Grundberg is a former photography critic of The New York Times.

I don’t know how to handle this Writing question and need guidance.

 

Think about where we left off in the last reading (1880s Industrial Revolution) and how this essay looks at photography’s role over the following hundred years (up to the 1980s, when this was written). We see how photography was used to both glorify and condemn technology and the effects of the Industrial Revolution, the beginnings of documentary photography and how it’s been used in the service of social concern, and photography’s sometimes contentious relationship with other arts.

There are a number of photographers named in this essay. Use this opportunity to look up their work to provide context to the writing and to the history of our photographic traditions. Trace the arc that the author, Andy Grundberg, follows concerning changing sentiments toward the natural and industrialized world, as well as how photography has been considered by artists and the public. How would you carry these ideas forward to the world of images today, and how they influence our perceptions?

Write a 250-300 word response to the reading, as well as a thoughtful and concise comment on at least one classmate’s response. If you agree or disagree with something, tell us why.

Post your response with time for others to read and comment before the due date on Thursday, 11/19.

Come to class prepared to discuss these ideas in a class conversation.

This essay is from Crisis of the Real: Writings on Photography, 1974-1989, by Andy Grundberg. Grundberg is a former photography critic of The New York Times.