Photography, cinema, and video have irrevocably changed the ways
in which we view and interpret images. Indeed, the mechanical
reproduction of images was a central preoccupation of
twentieth-century philosopher Walter Benjamin, who recognized that
film would become a vehicle not only for the entertainment of the
masses but also for consumerism and even communism and fascism.
In this volume, experts in film studies and art history take up
the debate, begun by Benjamin, about the power and scope of the
image in a secular age. Part I aims to bring Benjamin's concerns to
life in essays that evoke specific aspects and moments of the
visual culture he would have known. Part II focuses on precise
instances of friction within the traditional arts brought on by
this century's changes in the value and mission of images. Part III
goes straight to the image technologies themselves--photography,
cinema, and video--to isolate distinctive features of the visual
cultures they help constitute.
As we advance into the postmodern era, in which images play an
ever more central role in conveying perceptions and information,
this anthology provides a crucial context for understanding the
apparently irreversible shift from words to images that
characterized the modernist period. It will be important reading
for everyone in cultural studies, film and media studies, and art
history.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!