Roland Barthes

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Kaja Silverman’s “The Miracle of Analogy”: Rewriting the Ontology of Photography

Kaja Silverman's The Miracle of Analogy is a major rewriting of photography's ontology. This analysis breaks down its 4 core concepts: 1) Challenging Krauss's "index," she posits photography's essence as "analogy" (resemblance); 2) Decentering the author with the concept of "the world's self-imaging"; 3) Using "latency" (delay) to build an ethics of viewing; 4) Tracking "chains of resemblance" across media. The book reorients photo theory toward phenomenology and attunement.
2025.11.05
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kiji

John Szarkowski’s “The Photographer’s Eye”: Establishing a Formal Language for Seeing

John Szarkowski's 1966 The Photographer's Eye established a formal language for photography as art. This article analyzes its five core concepts: The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, and Vantage Point. This MoMA-derived toolkit teaches viewers how to identify selection, boundaries, and rhythm in an image, serving as a foundational text for formal analysis that complements the work of Berger, Sontag, and Barthes.
2025.11.05
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The Aura’s Waning and the Political Turn: Rereading Walter Benjamin’s “Work of Art” Essay

Walter Benjamin's "Work of Art" essay is a crucial media diagnosis. This article analyzes its 4 core concepts: 1) How technical reproduction causes the "aura" to wither, shifting art from sacred to secular; 2) Art's function shifts from "ritual value" to "exhibition value"; 3) The conflict between the "aestheticization of politics" (Fascism) and the "politicization of art"; 4) How film trains a new perception through "shock" and "distraction." It also discusses its value as a critical tool and its role as a "triangular fulcrum" with Sontag and Barthes.
2025.11.05
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kiji

Roland Barthes’s “Camera Lucida”: A Meditation on Time and the Punctum

Roland Barthes's Camera Lucida is a meditation on photography written in mourning. This article analyzes its four core concepts: 1) The dual structure of viewing, "Studium" (cultural interest) vs. "Punctum" (the personal, piercing detail); 2) The photograph's essence as "that-has-been" (ça a été), a witness to time and death; 3) The absent "Winter Garden Photograph" as an entry point for private affect; 4) The triad of Operator, Spectrum, and Spectator. It also explores the book's value as an analytical tool for affect and its complementary role to Sontag.
2025.11.05
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kiji

Deconstructing the Gaze: Susan Sontag’s “On Photography” as Contemporary Diagnosis

Susan Sontag's On Photography is a crucial cultural diagnosis. This article analyzes its four core arguments: 1) How "viewing" replaces "experience," fragmenting memory; 2) How the "aestheticization" of suffering erodes our ethical response; 3) How "documentary" is institutionally constructed; 4) The paradox of "witness" vs. intervention. It reassesses the book's value as a tool for image analysis.
2025.11.05
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