The Miracle of Analogy

or The History of Photography, Part 1

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Art History
Cover of the book The Miracle of Analogy by Kaja Silverman, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kaja Silverman ISBN: 9780804794008
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: March 4, 2015
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Kaja Silverman
ISBN: 9780804794008
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: March 4, 2015
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

The Miracle of Analogy is the first of a two-volume reconceptualization of photography. It argues that photography originates in what is seen, rather than in the human eye or the camera lens, and that it is the world's primary way of revealing itself to us. Neither an index, representation, nor copy, as conventional studies would have it, the photographic image is an analogy. This principle obtains at every level of its being: a photograph analogizes its referent, the negative from which it is generated, every other print that is struck from that negative, and all of its digital "offspring."

Photography is also unstoppably developmental, both at the level of the individual image and of medium. The photograph moves through time, in search of other "kin," some of which may be visual, but others of which may be literary, architectural, philosophical, or literary. Finally, photography develops with us, and in response to us. It assumes historically legible forms, but when we divest them of their saving power, as we always seem to do, it goes elsewhere.

The present volume focuses on the nineteenth century and some of its contemporary progeny. It begins with the camera obscura, which morphed into chemical photography and lives on in digital form, and ends with Walter Benjamin. Key figures discussed along the way include Nicéphore Niépce, Louis Daguerre, William Fox-Talbot, Jeff Wall, and Joan Fontcuberta.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Miracle of Analogy is the first of a two-volume reconceptualization of photography. It argues that photography originates in what is seen, rather than in the human eye or the camera lens, and that it is the world's primary way of revealing itself to us. Neither an index, representation, nor copy, as conventional studies would have it, the photographic image is an analogy. This principle obtains at every level of its being: a photograph analogizes its referent, the negative from which it is generated, every other print that is struck from that negative, and all of its digital "offspring."

Photography is also unstoppably developmental, both at the level of the individual image and of medium. The photograph moves through time, in search of other "kin," some of which may be visual, but others of which may be literary, architectural, philosophical, or literary. Finally, photography develops with us, and in response to us. It assumes historically legible forms, but when we divest them of their saving power, as we always seem to do, it goes elsewhere.

The present volume focuses on the nineteenth century and some of its contemporary progeny. It begins with the camera obscura, which morphed into chemical photography and lives on in digital form, and ends with Walter Benjamin. Key figures discussed along the way include Nicéphore Niépce, Louis Daguerre, William Fox-Talbot, Jeff Wall, and Joan Fontcuberta.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Aurangzeb by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Sediments of Time by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book The Price of Monotheism by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Contested Conversions to Islam by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Morbid Symptoms by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book The Global Limits of Competition Law by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Hard Times by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book The HP Phenomenon by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Borderland Capitalism by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book If God Were a Human Rights Activist by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book The Dönme by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book For Better, For Worse by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Less Rightly Said by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Borders of Belonging by Kaja Silverman
Cover of the book Resources for Reform by Kaja Silverman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy