Marien (fine arts, Syracuse Univ.) winnows the abundant photographic production of the mid-19th to the late 20th centuries to harvest a concise and essential chronology of the medium's technologies and aesthetics. She opens with photography's prehistory, examining the many figures, theories, and experiments leading to its invention and thus extending and deepening the presentation in Naomi Rosenblum's A World History of Photography, which begins in 1839. She carefully considers the import of photography's initial public reception and considers how, in this age of aesthetic and ideological pluralism, photography influences our experiences of the world. Ambitious in her scope, she ranges worldwide, offering detailed profiles of regional styles and previously under-recognized photographers. She also departs from the traditional "grand narrative" of other retrospective histories to expose the sometimes myriad ideological paths within a particular historical or aesthetic debate. With 600 illustrations, 166 in color, this volume is highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Savannah Schroll, formerly with Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
