Deck 11: Photography

Question 1

One of the complaints about pictorialism is that it was

A) limited in depth of field
B) emotionally shallow
C) too symmetrical
D) an interesting social document, but not a work of art

Answer 1

emotionally shallow

Question 2

Baudelaire thought photography was "art's most mortal enemy" because

A) from the moment photography was invented, painting was dead
B) photography could record only visual records, not something of a man's soul
C) as a product of the imagination, the photograph could not adequately represent reality
D) the camera could record precisely what was before the lens

Answer 2

photography could record only visual records, not something of a man's soul

Question 3

Who of the following took part in a federal program to give photographers work during the Great Depression?

A) Eugène Atget
B) James Van Der Zee
C) Dorothea Lange
D) Henri Cartier-Bresson

Answer 3

Dorothea Lange

Question 4

The early pictorialists' approach to treating details was to

A) apply critical depth of field
B) subordinate details to structure
C) use color
D) reveal true emotion

Question 5

The subject matter of O'Sullivan's Canyon de Chelley is

A) the puniness and softness of humans
B) the mistreatment of Native Americans
C) light and shadow
D) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following types of photograph appears primitive, spontaneous, and accidental?

A) pictorial
B) documentary
C) straight
D) snapshot

Question 7

Which photographer's exhibit triggered Senator Jesse Helms to sponsor a bill prohibiting NEA funding of art deemed obscene or objectionable?

A) Robert Mapplethorpe
B) Diane Arbus
C) Manuel Alvarez Bravo
D) none of the above

Question 8

Which contemporary photographer is known for unusual or unsettling photographs of children?

A) Joel Meyerowitz
B) Cindy Sherman
C) Gregory Crewdson
D) Loretta Lux

Question 9

In Delaroche's Execution of Lady Jane Grey, things are in

A) sharp focus
B) soft focus
C) both sharp and soft focus
D) even light

Question 10

Straight photography

A) concentrates upon sentimentality
B) concentrates upon beauty
C) concentrates upon clarity
D) always uses soft focus

Question 11

Who of the following is the pioneer of straight photography?

A) Edward Weston
B) Ansel Adams
C) Alfred Stieglitz
D) Imogen Cunningham

Question 12

The Documentarists are especially interested in

A) sharp focus
B) "the decisive moment"
C) soft focus
D) symbolic meanings

Question 13

Cindy Sherman uses what kind of photography?

A) pictorialism
B) straight photography
C) digital photography
D) documentary

Question 14

What is the method of photography that Ansel Adams is known for?

A) the fine print
B) pictorialism
C) composition
D) interesting social statements

Question 15

What group did Edward Weston belong to?

A) Pictorialists
B) Documentarists
C) ƒ/64 Group
D) Snapshot

Question 16

Explain in detail what makes Alfred Stieglitz's Paula a pictorialist photograph. Be sure to use examples and specific language.

Question 17

Do you think that Baudelaire's fear that photography is "art's most mortal enemy" has proven true, or false? Why or why not? Give specific examples.