“FROM NOW ON, PAINTING IS DEAD!” exclaimed French painter Paul Delaroche upon seeing the first photograph in 1839. Before photography, painters had the sole role in visually recording the world. With the camera taking over that role with such clarity of detail, most innovative painters felt free to experiment and break away from traditional representation—to seek new qualities in painting—and, voila, all the “isms” were born! This course will explore the fascinating history of photography, from daguerreotypes through the digital age. We will also reflect on the continual push-pull relationship between photography and painting, and the ways the two arts have influenced each other over the last 150 years.

Each session of this five-week course will be a combination of striking visual presentations with accompanying lecture, followed by lively interaction as we apply some well-established frameworks to analyzing individual photographs and paintings. “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”—Ansel Adams