Sumários
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.
(What is) Myth, Truth, Real, Natural.
28 Fevereiro 2025, 11:00 • Marzia D'Amico
Today's lecture further explored the concept of myth and mythology in Barthes’ framework, drawing on additional examples provided by both the lecturer and the students. Particular emphasis was placed on the principle of timelessness in myth and the relativity of reality. This discussion was followed by an examination of truth and reality within Foucault’s discursive system, highlighting how interpretations of reality are always shaped by the pressure of the dominant discourse.
A key point of analysis was the metaphor of the blue and red pills in The Matrix (1999), which sparked a discussion on how reality is constructed—whether through language, documentary practices, or other representational modes. This led to a brief investigation of Foucault’s The Archaeology of Knowledge, particularly regarding the ways in which discourse shapes what is accepted as knowledge. The session concluded with reflections on Barthes and Foucault as producers of critical knowledge, considering their contributions to the deconstruction of seemingly naturalised truths.
Discussion of Gillian Rose's "Towards a critical visual methodology"
27 Fevereiro 2025, 15:30 • Paula Alexandra Carvalho Alves Rodrigues Horta
- The French humanist photography paradigm