Product Description

"Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to
Understanding Images is now in its third edition and it has become the standard in photo criticism and theory courses throughout the United States. The book contains an elegant pedagogical apparatus founded on the four critical activities that Terry Barrett so ably illuminates describing, interpreting, evaluating, and theorizing.



Moreover, Barrett's analytical categorization of photographs into ideal types including the aesthetically evaluative and the interpretive (to cite two examples) has provided readers with a highly original and useful way to think about how photographs are made to function in the world."
Louis Kaplan, Southern Illinois University

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #254854 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 222 pages

Customer Reviews

A treasure trove of definitions, examples, and ideas...
A diversity of critical voices and photographic approaches is explored, giving the reader access to a rich world of creative thoughtŠBarrett defines criticism as "informed discourse about art to increase understanding and appreciation of art." He organizes his treatment of the four major activities of criticism‹describing, interpreting, evaluation, and theorizing‹which in turn address four basic questions: What is here? What is it about? How good is it? Is it art? ŠThe book provides in two short appendixes, practical advice on writing about photographs and on conducting casual and directed discussion of photographsŠ Monterey Peninsula College, Anne Canright

An excellent book with wider appeal than might be expected
Teachers of art and design, specialists in the fields of media studies, cross-cultural education, social anthropology, and literary criticism will find fertile ground here for both personal study and teachingŠIt is documented with extracts from critical writings, biographical details of trends and movements in the history of photography, anecdotes about individual photographers, and a telling section of visuals, most of which are commented on in lengthŠThis is no dry academic exercise; here is a probing exploration of the links between theory and practice in the aesthetics of criticismŠJournal of Art and Design Education, Michael Rawding

Best book on photography I have read - bar none
This is a truly excellent book. I have read dozens of books on appreciating photography and this is the best by a long way. Given it's title and main preoccupation being how to criticise photographs I am not too sure how I came to buy it, but I am certainly glad that I did. (In fact I first got a copy from the library as I was unsure, but enjoyed it so much that I had to have it). Most texts on "reading" photographs are pretty hard going unless you are accustomed to the works of Proust, Lacan, Derrida, Barthes et al. This is not. It is thoroughly readable and informative. It will increase your appreciation of photography and of other art forms, and enable you discuss in a "critical" fashion not only photographs but any other art form. It will increase your enjoyment of reading art criticism and add considerably to your knowledge of key photographers and their work. Ulitmately it will make you think more deeply about the photographs you take and make your photography more interesting. It is relatively pricey for a paperback but it is well illustrated and worth every penny.