Reading Assessments
Categorizing photographs helps us interpret them in a deeper level, have a better understanding of what is going on and what they are trying to communicate. Terry Barrett, an American art critic introduces a new category system that is based on "how photographs are made to function and how they are used to function" (Barrett, 63). The new system consists of six categories that are the following: Descriptive, explanatory, interpretive, ethically evaluative, aesthetically evaluative, and theatrical.
Descriptive photographs: All photos describe, at some level, but some are not intended to do anything more than that. Explanatory photographs: These photos are intended to document a way of life. Interpretive photographs: These do not strive for scientific accuracy, but rather are personal or subjective interpretations. They tell us how things are, but there is an interpretation of how things are imbedded in the photo. Ethically evaluative photographs: These photos make ethical judgments. They praise or condemn aspects of society. Aesthetically evaluative photographs: These make judgments not about social issues but about aesthetic issues. They tell us what is worth aesthetic observation.Theoretical photographs: These comment on art and the making of art. They raise questions about the making of photos.
I learned that many of these categories have a lot in common and may bleed into one another but they are essential. The material was very interesting; I liked all the examples that the writer Terry Barrett presented, specially the photographs of artist like: Barbara Kruger, Arthur Tress and Clarissa Sligh
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