After reading the passage "Notes on Surface" by David Joselit, I realized that the only way I could really understand his idea of flatness was to analyze his view and discuss how it could be applied to photography. In my opinion, the photographic medium is the ultimate way to express the ideas that Joselit states in his article. Joselit discusses Greenbergian ideas and says that "both the followers of Greenberg and those who would supersede his legacy have misunderstood flatness, even though Greenberg himself had an anxious inkling of how modernist opticality was mortgaged to psychological depths" (Kocur 306). But how does photography play into the themes that Joselit discusses in his essay "Notes on Surface"?
First, the most obvious can be stated. Photographs are flat and will forever be flat. We can compare them to when Joselit discusses Kara Walker and her flat cut-outs. He says that "Walker's works are physically flat: they are simple monochromatic cut-outs placed flush against the wall" (Kocur 304). But he also goes on to talk about the psychological depth that they possess. This too can be applied to photography. Not all, but most photographers, especially those working after World War II, use photogprahy as a "form of self-expression" (Arnason 436). Minor White was one of these photographers who worked after the war as a mean of self-expression. He says, "I photogprah not that which is . . . but that which I AM" (Arnason 436). White's Sun in Rock, Devil's Side (1947) is a perfect example of what Joselit expresses in his essay. First, it is physically flat, because it is a photograph. Second, when we look at it we can see that there is definitely a psychological undertone that points to White's thoughts and feelings. In conclusion, photography is the ultimate flatness, and when used to express a deep psychological emotion, coincides completely with David Joselit's view of flatness in "Notes on Surface".
Bibliography:
Arnason, H.H., and Elizabeth C. Mansfield. "History of Modern Art". Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. pg 436.
Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. "Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985". Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. pg 304, 306.
First, the most obvious can be stated. Photographs are flat and will forever be flat. We can compare them to when Joselit discusses Kara Walker and her flat cut-outs. He says that "Walker's works are physically flat: they are simple monochromatic cut-outs placed flush against the wall" (Kocur 304). But he also goes on to talk about the psychological depth that they possess. This too can be applied to photography. Not all, but most photographers, especially those working after World War II, use photogprahy as a "form of self-expression" (Arnason 436). Minor White was one of these photographers who worked after the war as a mean of self-expression. He says, "I photogprah not that which is . . . but that which I AM" (Arnason 436). White's Sun in Rock, Devil's Side (1947) is a perfect example of what Joselit expresses in his essay. First, it is physically flat, because it is a photograph. Second, when we look at it we can see that there is definitely a psychological undertone that points to White's thoughts and feelings. In conclusion, photography is the ultimate flatness, and when used to express a deep psychological emotion, coincides completely with David Joselit's view of flatness in "Notes on Surface".
Bibliography:
Arnason, H.H., and Elizabeth C. Mansfield. "History of Modern Art". Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. pg 436.
Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. "Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985". Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. pg 304, 306.
I think your interpretation and view of photography being the "ultimate flatness" is very interesting. I also agree with you. Photography is a 2D documentation of self expression. Although other mediums such as painting are technically 2D and flat, photography is physically the flattest of all mediums. And other mediums as well can possess a deeper self expression and/or meaning, but because of a photographs level of physical flatness, I too think photography can be classified as the "flattest".
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