A Case Study on Art and Photography

A Case Study on Art and Photography

How do Leo Tolstoy and Roland Barthes’ theories help us to view a photograph of a traumatic event as an art?

We can use his book ‘What is Art’ to explain how Tolstoy brought out art by the use of a traumatic event. From my understanding of the book ‘What is Art,’ I like to state that Tolstoy explained how art is formed and how an individual’s expression of his or her feelings or emotions causes another individual to express their feelings. Tolstoy also adds that emotions by the other person will only be shown if they contain individuality, sincerity, and or clarity.

From the Vietnam Memorial, we can see how Tolstoy brought out art by infecting the individual who visits the memorial park. We get to see how visiting the monument park becomes a ‘cathartic’ experience and how the art portrayed is infectious to the visitor. Art evokes feelings of sadness and anger as we see how the little girl looks at the memorial touches the black stone monument.

Maya Lin received national recognition as she is awarded for using art to evoke feelings of melancholy and sorrow from an individual who visits the memorial park or a person who sees the photos. Also, when one visits the monument park, they are infected with feelings of melancholy as they get to experience how sad it is to lose a loved one and when one looks at the list of the people who died, one can’t help but be overwhelmed with sorrow as they see how thousands of people lost their lives as a result of the Vietnam war.

Leo explained that there are three conditions that merit an individual’s. These conditions were sincerity, individuality, and clearness. Sincerity was expressed as Maya Lin was sincere in her art as she brought out her honest feelings. On character, Maya Lin uses her work of the Vietnam Memorial to bring out individuality as her work is considered to have personal experience and not the experiences of others.

Roland Barthes was a French philosopher who wrote different literature and wrote different essays that focused on Photography. Barthes brings out art from the use of Vietnam Memorial as from the use of Photography; we get to see how art is brought out. Different aspects of Barthes’s works are brought out using the spectator, spectrum, and the operator. Feelings of sadness infect the spectator who views the works done by Maya Lin as he or she considers her work. This is art as Maya Lin affects the spectator. The spectrum comprises of two parts, including the stadium and ‘punctum.’ The stadium is the part that allows the spectator to understand what is expressed in the photograph. Thus, we see how Maya Lin helps the spectator to understand what goes on in Vietnam Memorial, and also, the spectator gets to experience how the Vietnam Veterans feel as they visit the park. ‘Punctum,’ which is a Latin word that means a mark that has been left as a result of a pointed instrument.  ‘Punctum’ is not really clear as it fails to have specific details that may capture the eye or the attention of the spectator. The operator is the individual that captures the image or some picture and tries to make it in such a manner that it will capture the attention of the eye of the spectator. From her work, we get to see how Maya Lin acts as the operator as she uses her art and us of Photography to bring out her work. Photography can also be explained in the form that it is too that is used to relay or pass a particular message. This can be explained in that, and a photographer can use a picture to say something. The photograph evokes different feelings from the spectator as they view the image taken. An example can be seen when Roland Barthes was looking at the pictures of his late mother; he was overwhelmed with emotions, thereby causing him to write the book Camera Lucida. Thus he brings out a traumatic event using the photograph. Leo Tolstoy and Barthes theories are brought out in Maya Lin work and my work. This is because Maya Lin uses her work of Photography to infect the spectator and thus bring out feelings of melancholy and sorrow. Also, the too theorists bring out the connection between emotions and a photograph. This is because a picture or operator has a purpose that the photographer wishes to bring out, and this helps to envoke certain feelings, either good or bad, from the spectator.

. My piece of work: ‘A shattered dream.’

It was to be the most memorable day of Joanne’s life as she had been dreaming of her wedding day. Mark had proposed during spring, and they were to wed in summer. Everyone from the grooms and brides side seemed to be elated, and the atmosphere was one filled with joy and laughter. Everyone who knew Joanne was appreciative that she finally found a man that wanted to settle down with her since she was well into her thirties, and all her age mates had long settled down.

Everyone was in awe of her beauty and how she looked. Suddenly, the room was filled with screams. A woman appeared out of nowhere shouting that the groom was her husband. The room suddenly filled with confusion.

In conclusion, we can explain the above story using Tolstoy and Barthes theory whereby, at the beginning of the story, expresses feelings of joy as Joanne finally gets someone who wants to marry her. However, it ends in sadness as Joanne’s dreams of getting married are shattered, and also, there are feelings of confusion as no one knows if this woman is telling the truth or not.