The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography

Question

The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography and art centered on whether photography’s fidelity to appearances and dependence on a machine allowed it to be a fine art as distinct from merely a practical art. Throughout the nineteenth century, the defense of photography was identical with the struggle to establish it as a fine art. Against the charge that photography was a soulless, mechanical copying of reality, photographers asserted that it was instead a privileged way of seeing, a revolt against commonplace vision, and no less worthy an art than painting.

Ironically, now that photography is securely established as a fine art, many photographers find it pretentious or irrelevant to label it as such. Serious photographers variously claim to be finding, recording, impartially observing, witnessing events, exploring themselves—anything but making works of art. In the nineteenth century, photography’s association with the real world placed it in an ambivalent relation to art; late in the twentieth century, an ambivalent relation exists because of the Modernist heritage in art. That important photographers are no longer willing to debate whether photography is or is not a fine art, except to proclaim that their own work is not involved with art, shows the extent to which they simply take for granted  the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism : the better the art, the more subversive it is of the traditional aims of art.

Photographers’ disclaimers of any interest in making art tell us more about the harried status of the contemporary notion of art than about whether photography is or is not art. For example, those photographers who suppose that, by taking pictures, they are getting away from the pretensions of art as exemplified by painting remind us of those  Abstract Expressionist painters  who imagined they were getting away from the intellectual austerity of classical Modernist painting by concentrating on the physical act of painting. Much of photography’s prestige today derives from the convergence of its aims with those of recent art, particularly with the dismissal of abstract art implicit in the phenomenon of Pop painting during the 1960’s. Appreciating photographs is a relief to sensibilities tired of the mental exertions demanded by abstract art. Classical Modernist painting—that is, abstract art as developed in different ways by Picasso, Kandinsky, and Matiss—presupposes highly developed skills of looking and a familiarity with other paintings and the history of art. Photography, like Pop painting, reassures viewers that art is not hard; photography seems to be more about its subjects than about art.

Photography, however, has developed all the anxieties and self-consciousness of a classic Modernist art. Many professionals privately have begun to worry that the promotion of photography as an activity subversive of the traditional pretensions of art has gone so far that the public will forget that photography is a distinctive and exalted activity—in short, an art.    1 
 1. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with

(A) defining the Modernist attitude toward art
(B) explaining how photography emerged as a fine art after the controversies of the nineteenth century
(C) explaining the attitudes of serious contemporary photographers toward photography as art and placing those attitudes in their historical context
(D) defining the various approaches that serious contemporary photographers take toward their art and assessing the value of each of those approaches
(E) identifying the ways that recent movements in painting and sculpture have influenced the techniques employed by serious photographers

2 
 2. Which of the following adjectives best describes “the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism” as the author represents it in lines ( Highlighted )?

(A) Objective
(B) Mechanical
(C) Superficial
(D) Dramatic
(E) Paradoxical

3 
 3. The author introduces Abstract Expressionist painters ( Highlighted ) in order to

(A) provide an example of artists who, like serious contemporary photographers, disavowed traditionally accepted aims of modern art
(B) call attention to artists whose works often bear a physical resemblance to the works of serious contemporary photographers
(C) set forth an analogy between the Abstract Expressionist painters and classical Modernist painters
(D) provide a contrast to Pop artists and others who created works that exemplify the Modernist heritage in art
(E) provide an explanation of why serious photography, like other contemporary visual forms, is not and should not pretend to be an art

4 
 4. According to the author, the nineteenth-century defenders of photography mentioned in the passage stressed that photography was

(A) a means of making people familiar with remote locales and unfamiliar things
(B) a technologically advanced activity
(C) a device for observing the world impartially
(D) an art comparable to painting
(E) an art that would eventually replace the traditional arts

5 
 5. According to the passage, which of the following best explains the reaction of serious contemporary photographers to the question of whether photography is an art?

(A) The photographers’ belief that their reliance on an impersonal machine to produce their art requires the surrender of the authority of their personal vision
(B) The photographers’ fear that serious photography may not be accepted as an art by the contemporary art public
(C) The influence of Abstract Expressionist painting and Pop Art on the subject matter of the modern photograph
(D) The photographers’ belief that the best art is subversive of art as it has previously been defined
(E) The notorious difficulty of defining art in its relation to realistic representation

6 
 6. According to the passage, certain serious contemporary photographers expressly make which of the following claims about their photographs?

(A) Their photographs could be created by almost anyone who had a camera and the time to devote to the activity.
(B) Their photographs are not examples of art but are examples of the photographers’ impartial observation of the world.
(C) Their photographs are important because of their subjects but not because of the responses they evoke in viewers.
(D) Their photographs exhibit the same ageless principles of form and shading that have been used in painting.
(E) Their photographs represent a conscious glorification of the mechanical aspects of twentieth-century life.

7 
 7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably considers serious contemporary photography to be a

(A) contemporary art that is struggling to be accepted as fine art
(B) craft requiring sensitivity but by no means an art
(C) mechanical copying of reality
(D) modern art that displays the Modernist tendency to try to subvert the prevailing aims of art
(E) modern art that displays the tendency of all Modernist art to become increasingly formal and abstract

Sajjad1994 · Answer

No OE is available, let me share my view on how I selected the correct answer.

Explanation

1. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with

Explanation

This is a primary purpose question and one can reach the final answer only after reading the complete passage.

Paragraph 1  starts the discussion by the comparison of photography and painting as art.

Paragraph 2  discusses the attitudes of serious contemporary photographers toward photography

Paragraph 3  provided a few examples and history of photography

Paragraph 4  concludes the discussion by stating that photography is an art.

Lets read the answer options one by one.

(A) defining the  Modernist attitude  toward art

The primary purpose is something which covers whole of the passage with true direction of the author. Saying the modern attitude is very tiny part of the passage and this option is very to eliminate even if you are in your 500 level.

(B) explaining how photography emerged as a fine art  after the controversies of the nineteenth century

This option looks cool in the first half but changes its direction after the first half. "after the controversies of the nineteenth century" is totally misleading in terms of the primary purpose of the passage. This option is comparatively tricky.

(C) explaining the attitudes of serious contemporary photographers toward photography as art and placing those attitudes in their historical context

This is the correct answer covering whole of the passage and is inline with the summary provided in the start of the explanation.

(D) defining the various approaches that serious contemporary photographers take toward their art  and  assessing the value of each of those approaches

This is half wrong and half right answer choice, It also starts from good but goes toward bad. The first half is correct but second half is not.

(E) identifying the ways that recent movements in painting and sculpture have influenced the techniques employed by serious photographers

Out of scope. Eliminate it.

Answer: C

PGTLrowanhand · Answer

The passage says that according to Modernism, "the better the art" means "more subversive of the aims of art."

It does not seem reasonable that subverting X something would improve X. Hence the paradox.

guddo · Answer

2. Which of the following adjectives best describes “the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism” as the author represents it in lines ( Highlighted )?

The passage says photography first had to fight to be accepted as fine art. Later, once photography was accepted as art, many photographers rejected the label “art.”  The Modernist idea  behind this attitude is that the best art challenges or undermines traditional ideas of art. That idea is  paradoxical  because it treats art as most artistic when it seems anti-art.

(A) Objective

This is incorrect. The concept is not about being neutral or fact-based.

(B) Mechanical

This is incorrect. “Mechanical” describes an old criticism of photography, not the Modernist concept of art.

(C) Superficial

This is incorrect. The author does not say the Modernist concept is shallow. The issue is its strange internal tension.

(D) Dramatic

This is too vague. Modernism may involve bold rejection of tradition, but “dramatic” does not capture the logical nature of the concept.

(E) Paradoxical

This is correct. The concept says that the better the art is, the more it subverts traditional aims of art. In other words, art becomes “better” by resisting what art traditionally was supposed to be.

Answer: (E)

sasha13 · Answer

how do you solve the 4th question?

guddo · Answer

4. According to the author, the nineteenth-century defenders of photography mentioned in the passage stressed that photography was

The passage says nineteenth-century photographers defended photography against the charge that it was just mechanical copying. They argued that photography was a special way of seeing and was  no less worthy an art than painting . So the answer must match the idea that photography was  comparable to painting as art .

(A) a means of making people familiar with remote locales and unfamiliar things

This is not mentioned. The defenders were not stressing photography’s ability to show unfamiliar places or things.

(B) a technologically advanced activity

This is the opposite direction. Critics emphasized photography’s dependence on a machine; defenders tried to show that it was more than a mechanical activity.

(C) a device for observing the world impartially

This is closer to what later photographers claimed, not what the nineteenth-century defenders stressed.

(D) an art comparable to painting

This is correct. The passage says photographers argued that photography was “no less worthy an art than painting.”

(E) an art that would eventually replace the traditional arts

This is not supported. The passage says photography was defended as equal to painting, not as a replacement for painting or other arts.

Answer: (D)

kaustubhkohli12 · Answer

What was the average time . Took 11 mins 22 seconds

Riyaagoell · Answer

In the 7th question in my opnion ans should be E instead of D. Subvert is a very strong word whereas E clearly mentions abstract which is discussed for an entire para in the passage. Please explain how D is the ans.

guddo · Answer

7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably considers serious contemporary photography to be a

The passage says photography is now securely accepted as fine art, but many serious photographers deny that they are making art. The author explains this as part of the Modernist idea that  better art challenges traditional ideas of art . So serious contemporary photography is still art, but art that presents itself as  anti-art or subversive of art’s older aims .

(A) contemporary art that is struggling to be accepted as fine art

This is incorrect. The passage says photography is already “securely established as a fine art.”

(B) craft requiring sensitivity but by no means an art

This is the opposite of the author’s view. The author treats photography as an art, even if some photographers deny that label.

(C) mechanical copying of reality

This is the old nineteenth-century criticism of photography, not the author’s view.

(D) modern art that displays the Modernist tendency to try to subvert the prevailing aims of art

This is correct. The author says contemporary photographers take for granted the Modernist idea that the better the art, the more it subverts traditional artistic aims.

(E) modern art that displays the tendency of all Modernist art to become increasingly formal and abstract

This is incorrect. The passage says photography’s prestige partly comes from moving away from abstract art, not from becoming more formal and abstract.

Answer: (D)

egmat · Answer

Hi Riyaagoell,

I can see why "subvert" felt too strong and why "abstract" pulled you toward E, since that word really does dominate paragraph  3 . But let's test both against what the author actually  says  about photography.

"Subvert" isn't the test-writer's word - it's the author's.

Look at paragraph  2 : photographers "take for granted the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism:  the better the art, the more subversive it is of the traditional aims of art. " And the last paragraph calls photography "an activity  subversive  of the traditional pretensions of art." So D isn't overstating anything - it echoes the author's exact language. The author sees photographers' "we're not making art" disclaimers as themselves a Modernist, art-subverting gesture.

Now check E against the passage, not just the word count.

Yes, abstract art fills paragraph  3  - but read  why  it's there. The author says photography "reassures viewers that art is not hard" and "seems to be  more about its subjects than about art ," offering "a relief to sensibilities tired of the mental exertions demanded by abstract art." So photography is the  opposite  of increasingly formal and abstract. E takes a topic the passage discusses and attaches to photography a trait the passage actually  denies  it has. That's a reversal.

A quick habit to catch this:

"Unlike heavy novels, comic books are a relief for tired readers."

The word "heavy" appears - but comics are described as the  opposite  of heavy. Picking "comics are heavy" just because "heavy" is in the sentence is the same move E asks you to make.

So match the answer to the author's  stance on photography , and D is the only fit.

Answer: D

The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography

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The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography

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