David Boyce, A Particular History of Photography
24 June - 26 August 2020
At Blue Lotus Gallery
David Boyce will give ten talks on the history of photography and its associated styles . Presented as a series of themed modules, David will take us through the history of photography in its different shapes and forms. He will take us from the early human desire to make images through to the world of photography as we understand it today. The modules will range over time and styles from landscape to street photography, portrait to "snap shot", fashion to documentary while touching on topics like eroticism, ethnography and propaganda.
As per Sarah Greene: 'Boyce is a true geek when it comes to history of photography. Even if you think you know a lot about photography, Boyce always manages to surprise you with stories and facts that you never heard about before. Moreover he's a great story teller. This course promises to be enriching, challenging in what you thought you knew and at times very entertaining.”
This course is suitable for anyone interested in photography and its history including artists, photographers, collectors, photography lovers and students. During this course you might not only learn something but make a few like minded friends too.
The complete course consists of 10 modules.
Dates: Wednesdays 7–8:30 pm (followed by discussion)
Starting 24 June, until end August
Drop-in: HK$ 300 per class
Complete Course: HK$ 2000 (10 classes)
The course can be attended in person or by proxy with zoom.
This course will be conducted in English.
Venue: Blue Lotus Gallery, 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Contact; Sarah Greene | sarah@bluelotus-gallery.com
t: +852 6100 1295
In further detail:
(24/6) Module 1: The History of ‘Fixing the Image’.
From a pinhole to the silicon chip, oil paint to silver, dye and ink… The first module will cover photography’s ‘pre-history’. We will look at all the little (and some large) discoveries that came before the invention of the camera and a fixed t image.
(THUR 2/7) Module 2: The Science of Modern Photography, from complexity and rarity to ubiquity.
The second module will look at how the camera developed, including the changes in the way photos were taken, what we took photos of, and how image making became ubiquitous. Basically, from mercury and sea salt to pixels and 1 & 0’s.
(8/7) Module 3: Portrait Photography.
Here we will focus on portrait photography: its different styles and formats such as studio and environmental and the ongoing influence of painting on how we expect a portrait to look. We will also discuss a very subjective list of portrait masters, and what a portrait comprises.
(15/7) Module 4: Landscape Photography.
In this module we will move outside and look at landscape. Like portraiture, much of what we expect in landscape photography comes from our understanding of painting. But that understanding can lead to subverted expectations. The landscape photographers we look at will range from Romanticism to Modernism to the PostModern approach.
(22/7) Module 5: Fashion and Popular culture in Photography.
We strut the catwalk and consider fashion photography. Something that grew from the simple representation of “product” to transcend into aspiration and storytelling. With fashion photography it is sometimes difficult to understand when selling stops and art starts, and vice versa. More than just pretty people in pretty clothes, it is also an area that forced adaptation and innovation from all participants, from camera companies to film manufactures, magazines and more.
(29/7) Module 6: Vernacular and Snapshot Photography.
Here we will look at what is called vernacular or “snapshot” photography. How art can be found in the thousands and thousands of images that have been taken as simple snapshots. We will also look at the photographers who were influenced by the aesthetic of what is sometimes called found photography and why people collect them. And we will look at how these images can be transformed into art in the hands of some of those attracted to them.
(5/8) Module 7: Street Photography.
We will walk the streets for talk seven, through the viewfinder of other photographers. We will traverse the subject of street photography, what is it, what are the rules and arguments that surround it, how has it changed and progressed over the last 100 or so years, and just what is and isn’t a street photo.
(12/8) Module 8: Photojournalism and Documentary.
Number eight has us on the other side of the street with Documentary and its cousin, Photojournalism. We explore how they are similar, yet different; how they have changed with technology, who are the key figures, and what are some of the controversies that have occurred along the way.
(19/8) Module 9: Photography as Art.
On how photography started to be accepted as an art form, making its way into art galleries and museums. We will talk about Fine Art photography, Modernism, PostModernism and Conceptual photography.
(26/8) Module 10: Taboos in Photography.
Nude photography and eroticism, ethnographic and propaganda photography, and how the lines between these can blur. We will look at what is considered acceptable and what is not and why that is.
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