Like the collector, the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it appears to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.
Susan SontagRead
Because each photograph is only a fragment, its moral and emotional weight depends on where it is inserted. A photograph changes according to the context in which it is seen: thus Smith's Minamata photographs will seem different on a contact sheet, in a gallery, in a political demonstration, in a police file, in a photographic magazine, in a book, on a living-room wall. Each o these situations suggest a different use for the photographs but none can secure their meaning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Photographs hold different meanings based on their context and presentation.
Susan Sontag emphasizes that the significance of a photograph is not static; rather, it shifts according to the environment in which it is viewed. Whether it's in an art gallery or a political protest, the context influences the interpretation and emotional impact of the photograph, highlighting that meaning is fluid and can vary greatly depending on the circumstances surrounding it.
Themes
PhotographContextMeaningEmotionArt
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the impact of documentary photography in a lecture about social justice.
More from Susan Sontag
All quotes βScience fiction films are not about science. They are about disaster, which is one of the oldest subjects of art.
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Volume depends precisely on the writer's having been able to sit in a room every day, year after year, alone.
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It hurts to love. It's like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.
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