Sumários
Photography
11 Março 2025, 11:00 • Marzia D'Amico
Drawing on the perspectives of theorists such as Roland Barthes, John Berger, Vilém Flusser, and Riccardo Falcinelli, this lecture examined how photography constructs perception and shapes our understanding of reality. Specifically, we explored how photography is anchored in an idea of objectivity, which, in fact, is a mere illusion (Framing and Composition). We interpreted how the photographic medium itself is not neutral (referencing McLuhan's notion of "the medium is the message") and investigated the emotional and cultural responses to the use of colour(s) (Meaning Making).
The Story of Art without men
7 Março 2025, 11:00 • Marzia D'Amico
We began the lesson by asking ourselves if we can name at least three female artists. The names that emerged were mostly institutionalized ones (e.g., Frida Kahlo, Marina Abramović...), and we reflected on the initial difficulty this simple exercise presents. This is the reflective practice suggested by Hessel, author of The Story of Art without Men, whose introduction we read in order to comment on the statistical marginalization of women in the art world (e.g., no solo exhibitions in major museums).
After conducting a visual analysis of Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith slaying Holofernes, we examined her biography (cw: sexual assault) both as a woman and as an artist in order to understand the thematic choices in her paintings. Through the exemplary history of Gentileschi, we were able to highlight the practical difficulties women have faced for centuries, advancing with examples of resilience suggested by the students, extending to the present day. A reflection on the positioning of subjectivities and artists was conducted through the key terms: privilege, discrimination, and positive discrimination.
We critically questioned whether and to what extent it is necessary to know the history of the artist behind a work (biographic and psychoanalytic critical approach) in order to comprehend the artwork, leaving the question open: can we distinguish art created by women from that created by men? And, more importantly, is this distinction relevant?
Documentary photography: critical theory and history
6 Março 2025, 15:30 • Paula Alexandra Carvalho Alves Rodrigues Horta
— Definition of and theoretical approaches to documentary photography.
— Aims and subject matter of documentary photography.
— Documentary as objective representation vs. documentary as subjective interpretation.
— Henri Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment.