Life @ Otis : Library

History of Photography


Paper Assignment #1:
The assignment for your first paper is based on an exhibition currently on view at the Getty Center. In Focus: Making a Scene, is comprised of photographs from the museum’s collection dating from the 19th century to the present time.  All of the work is fiction produced by photographer/directors incorporating actors in staged settings, and/or created through darkroom wizardry.  The images are inspired by art history, literature, religion, and mainstream media, and are arranged in themes of Life Imitating Art, Playing Dress Up, Imaginary Subjects, and Theatricality as a Critical Strategy. Your assignment is to choose one photograph from each theme to evaluate in terms of content and form. You are expected to conduct background research on each photographer, if known, as well as the subject matter of the photographs you’ve chosen to analyze using academic databases, the internet, books, and the exhibition catalogue. Consult the Getty Center website for general information, including directions, parking, hours, admission.


Find an Database Article


Your best best for finding articles about photographers would be Wilson Art Index. You will find a link on the DATABASES page (link in right side bar). ProQuest and JStor also cover art and the history of photography. 

Finding articles about subject matter such as "Playing Dress Up" will be more challenging. You can't simply enter those terms in a database and necessarily find something. You will need to think of terms that an author of an article might use in a title of an article. Or, think about the classification that the indexer for the database has added to the subject field.

When you locate an article about the photographer, look for terms in the titles of other articles and the additional subject terms suggested. For instance, one of the articles about Man Ray contains the term "masculinity." Using that as a term to search further may net other ideas. For a detailed breakdown of this methodology, see How to Clarify Your Topic.


Remember:
The librarians and the library staff are available. Ask for reference/research assistance at any time. It's our job. You're not bothering us.