History and current events in the arts / Images

Teacher : Catherine Mayeur

One of the most important developments in twentieth-century art has undoubtedly been its reflexive engagement with the media image, in a wide variety of ways. The general aim of this course is the appropriation of the media by artists, and in particular the emergence of the "documentary style" (a notion coined by Walker Evans) in its historical, institutional, aesthetic and political context, and the actualization of this concept. Avant-garde movements (Dadaism, Surrealism, New Objectivity, etc.) worked with documents in various forms, and certain artists, notably Francis Picabia and Marcel Duchamp, considered the impact of the media on the artistic sphere within their own practices.

After 1960, the documentary style and the appropriation of media became established with the artistic exploration of territories bordering on utilitarian photography, but also in pictorial, videographic or textual practices, in "works for magazines" and artists' books.

Training focused on reading images, with a particular emphasis on photography in modern and contemporary art. Establish historical and aesthetic benchmarks to situate the emergence of works, and stimulate analysis and personal appreciation. Promote reflection on the properties of the image, its modes of production, distribution and reception, its various codes, the contextualization of meaning, and the relationship between art and media. Contribute to the development of a critical and aesthetic language.