Understanding Photograph: Carol Squiers, Geoffrey Batchen, George Baker, Hito Steyerl (2014) Hardcover

This book explores the intense creative experimentation in photography that has occurred since the 1970s, bringing together a group of stylistically diverse but similarly adventurous and innovative artists. Beginning with the waning days of conceptual art, it presents a wide variety of artists – including James Welling, Christopher Williams, Marco Breuer, Alison Rossiter, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter – who have reconsidered and reinvented the role of light, color, composition, materiality, and subject in the art of photography.

Few people ask, "What is a painting? A drawing? A sculpture?" But the medium of photography, especially since the 1970s, has been constantly changing as technological developments allow for endless experimentation, until the very definition of a photograph becomes ripe for debate. Brought together for the first time in book form, these individuals have found new ways of implementing both analog and digital technology, in many cases creating hybrid works that open up new possibilities for today's artists.

Filled with brilliant color reproductions, this volume not only traces the many strands of experimentation that have developed out of conceptual art, but also encourages dialogue on the continuing experimentation that is occurring as photography continues to evolve within the analog and digital worlds. The book serves as a testament to the versatility and dynamism of the photographic medium, showcasing how artists have pushed the boundaries of what is considered a photograph and explored new frontiers of creative expression.

Through the diverse approaches and innovative techniques presented in this volume, readers are invited to reconsider the very nature of photography and its potential as a medium for artistic exploration. The book celebrates the boundless creativity and experimentation that have characterized the evolution of photography over the past few decades, offering a compelling and visually stunning exploration of the medium's ongoing transformation.

product information: