Description
Book SynopsisIn essays analyzing the photography of luminaries such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Susan Meiselas, pioneering feminist art critic Abigail Solomon-Godeau extends her politically engaged and theoretically sophisticated inquiry into the historical and cultural circuits of power as they shape and inform the practice, criticism, and historiography of photography.
Trade Review"Solomon-Godeau shines when applying deconstructive feminist analysis to broader questions of representation in visual culture, and the market forces that collude to elevate an artist’s reputation to master status." -- Wendy Vogel * Camera Austria *
"With its refusal to separate photography from power and patronage, Abigail Solomon-Godeau's
Photography After Photography arrives at an auspicious moment.. . . Bringing a wealth of information to bear on photographic meaning, Solomon-Godeau explores her topics in historical context. In doing so, she demonstrates that the way many photographs are understood today has little to do with the circumstance of their creation, or the manner in which they were originally distributed and viewed." -- Dore Bowen * Art in America *
"While Solomon-Godeau’s overarching goal is to offer a feminist critique of the art world — particularly of critical discourse around art — in some of her essays she also discusses topics that fall outside this lens, such as the role of desire in photography and images of torture. In this sense, the anthology reflects the range of Solomon-Godeau’s practice and interest as an art critic and scholar." -- Ela Bittencourt * Hyperallergic *
"Solomon-Godeau’s essays are lucid and make for captivating reading. . . . It is fitting for Solomon-Godeau to present a collection that spans such a broad range of topics in a manner that is cohesive, challenging, and attentive to photography’s complex formal and cultural history." -- Will Carroll * ASAP/Journal *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vii
Preface. May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way / Sarah Parsons ix
Introduction 1
1. Inside/Out (1995) 10
2. Written on the Body (1997) 27
3.
The Family of Man: Refurbishing Humanism for a Postmodern Age (2004) 43
4. Torture at Abu Ghraib: In and Out of the Media (2007) 61
5. Harry Callahan: Gender, Genre, and Street Photography (2007) 77
6. Caught Looking: Susan Meiselas's
Carnival Strippers (2008) 94
7. Framing Landscape Photography (2010) 107
8. The Ghosts of Documentary (2012) 123
9. Inventing Vivian Maier: Categories, Careers, and Commerce (2013) 141
10. Robert Mapplethorpe: Whitewashed and Polished (2014) 156
11. Body Double (2014) 171
12. The Coming of Age: Cindy Sherman, Feminism, and Art History (2014) 189
Notes 207
Bibliography 237
Index 249
