On Photography by Susan Sontag

On Photography is a 1977 collection of essays by Susan Sontag. It originally appeared as a series of essays in the New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977. In the book, Sontag expresses her views on the history and present-day role of photography in capitalist societies as of the 1970s. Sontag discusses many examples of modern photography, among these, she contrasts Diane Arbus's work with that of Depression-era documentary photography commissioned by the Farm Security Administration. ([Wikipedia][1])

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Photography

the major takeaway would be the last chapter filling fully of quotes about photography and ways of seeing. i think some of the arguments overlap themselves, just retelling the same main ideas with regard to different photographers and “schools” of photography. this might not be a good introduction into aesthetic criticism, but informative enough.

Satisfying and accessible work of art theory.

These days, photography feels like one of the most important vehicles to build [b:The Society of the Spectacle 381440 The Society of the Spectacle Guy Debord https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1370746722l/381440.SY75.jpg 371226] along with social media which is oversaturated by photographs.It was not always like this. Through Sontag's eyes, one can understand photography in quite a different way. To me, this book contains some ideas that may change how I look at photographs fundamentally.Sontag touched, in these insightful essays, some key points of photography. Most of them deal with photography's relation to art. In her view, photography (though denied by many proponents) is a modern art. It embodies modernism more than painting and poetry in permissiveness and ambiguity of aesthetics, subject matter, and expertise.She also explored the social side of photography quite a bit, especially how tourism, memory-making, etc fundamentally changed after the wider acceptance of photography.It is a pleasure to read. Sontag can express quite succinctly her point with a storyteller's captivating charm.