The Trained Eye: The Art Historian as Photographer

9 March–1 May 1977

In teaching the history of art, we are often bound by the constraints of reproductions and facsimiles of the original images or objects. Though this type of photography is usually intended to be representative, the subjectivities and inclinations of the photographer invariably plays a part. These difficulties and advantages are the subject of this exhibition. The participants are art historians as well as photographers, and their photographs are not intended as independent works of art, but as historical documents in themselves, recording details like tiny brushstrokes, areas of damage, and inscriptions. Of the participants, Rolf Achilles and Chester Brummel were professional photographers before becoming art historians, while Edson Armi, Pramod Chandra and Harrie Vanderstappen were not. The photographs include Chinese Buddhist cave sculpture, Indian Mughal painting, Romanesque architecture and sculpture, Portugese Renaissance architecture, and 19th century bronze sculpture. 

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