American Photography - A Century of Images
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American Photography - A Century of Images Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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"A Century of Images" gets to the heart of America's photographic obsessions
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The folks at PBS deserve the gratitude of photography teachers and students everywhere. Taking on subject matter as impossibly broad as photography in 20th Century America? This documentary covers-- sometimes comprehensively, sometimes briefly-- virtually every important topic germane to the field of study, from Pictorialism to Straight Photography, from fashion to the scientific. Along the way, we are introduced (or reintroduced) to what has been the medium's most important uses: journalism and documentary. "A Century of Images" is as instructive for the novice as it may be reaffirming to those already familiar with much of the material. Underlying a wealth of historical examples and anecdotes are the two twin themes that raise this effort above the mundane: concern over the ethical issues photographs present, and the effects of mechanically produced images in the post-industrial age on the psyche of our nation. These themes manifest themselves in ways that are often revelatory and moving. One memorable example: the way Edward Curtis's images of Native Americans are placed into context by a woman who appreciates them, yet yearns for more images that show her people the way they "really were." Sections on war photography cover WWI, WWII, Vietnam and the Gulf War with compassion, and work as excellent visual aids to discussions on todays situation in Iraq. Another bonus: the section on the transition to a digital age has not yet outlived its usefulness.
Until I was able to buy this fabulous history on DVD, my biggest complaint was that while using the VHS version, I had all kinds of problems locating the various scenes I wanted to pull out to show my photography and visual communication courses at the university where I teach. Now that I can happily locate scenes at will using the DVD menu, I can direct my ire at its few but significant omissions and shortcomings. More on Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus please . . . . they were pretty damned influential. |
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