Grammar 3

Grammar 3 revisits and expands upon the major ideas of the prior two Grammar classes: deepening our understanding of aesthetics, space, structure and style. Beginning with Stephen Shore’s article, Form and Pressure, we investigate the intersection of two and three dimensional space in a photograph. Within the frame, internal relationships can be mapped, giving insight into the unexpected beauty and elegance that photographs potentially offer. Through class readings we consider the significance of detail, the impact of form, and stylistic approaches of the viewer.

Students can expect to receive specific shooting assignments designed to clarify interests, expand range, and offer insight into the problems addressed, within a context of historical and contemporary approaches. The class culminates in a portfolio review in which we consider sequence, format, and the selection of images with the goal of forming a clear and eloquent whole.

Class 1: Pictures of Space

• Photographs Describe Things, Photographs Also Depict Space

• Stephen Shore: Directed vs. Non-hierarchical Representations

• The Development of Perspective

• Markus Brunetti and Idealized Space

Class 2: Tonality Shapes Space

• Discerning Tonality

• Value Creates Structure

• Representing Separate and Distinct Planes of Space

Class 3: Structure Within the Frame

• Diagramming Spatial Relationships within the Frame

• Visualizing Structural Elegance

Class 4: Punctum and Studium

• Roland Barthes: Camera Lucida

• The Significance of Details

• Styles of the Viewer: Personal vs. Cultural Meanings

• Photography and the Past Tense

Class 5: Likeness vs Air, Thoughts on Portraiture

• Photography and Representation: Likeness vs. Air

• Portraiture Compared: Painting and Photography

• Examples of Punctum

• The Role of Reading

Class 9: The Values of Photographers

Class 10: Review of Projects