Focusing on the intersection of photography and reality, this work highlights the significance of documentary in contemporary photographic art. It explores how postmodern techniques of appropriation and quotation are employed by various American artists, providing insights into their creative processes and the broader implications for understanding art in a modern context.
Exploring the intersection of art and capitalism, "Variable Capital" highlights how artists redirect focus to the hidden exploitation and alienation in artistic production. Featuring a diverse array of international talents like Common Culture and Andy Warhol, the book showcases works that provoke discomfort through awkward situations and humorous subversions of everyday objects. This approach critiques the absurdity of commodification, revealing the brutal realities behind art while challenging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths.
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) is one of the most famous documentary photographers of all time. In 1935, tired of studio portraiture, she began working for the Farm Security Administration and created many of the images that define the Depression in the popular imagination. Other artists in this series Eugene Atget, Mathew Brady, Wynn Bullock, Julia Margaret Cameron, Joan Fontcuberta, David Goldblatt, Nan Goldin, Graciela Iturbide, Andre Kertesz, Mary Ellen Mark, Joel Meyerowitz, Boris Mikhailov, Lisette Model, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Eadweard Muybridge, Eugene Richards, W. Eugene Smith, Shomei Tomatsu, Joel-Peter Witkin
This engaging survey examines the evolution of photography as an art form since the 1960s, highlighting its transformation into a respected and versatile medium through the work of renowned photographers.