In discussing the subjectivity of art, the topics of appearance and semantic value of artwork start to enter the conversation. After reading the excerpt by Roland Barthes, I came to the conclusion that the concepts of studium and punctum are akin to the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” With regard to artwork, the act of judging a book by its cover, or rather being or not being attracted to an artwork constitutes the studium factor, while punctum refers to the content of the work and whether it provides any sort of meaningful sentiment behind its appearance, and whether an element of the work exists that tempts the viewer to return to it.
Throughout my visit at the Mishkin Gallery, I felt there was one photo, in particular, that was not like the others. Having read the assigned reading, I’d only had a loose understanding or grasp of studium. I knew it was whether I liked or didn’t like how a certain artwork looked. The photograph titled “The Patriarch (Welsh Coal Miner),” had, in my opinion, a unique incorporation of studium. Unlike other photographs in the exhibit, the man in this work, middle-aged, was staring directly at the camera, with an agonizing, yet emotionless countenance, holding both hands on his
face so that his fingers lined up just below his bottom lip. Before any further thought, I knew I liked this photograph. Something about the rawness of the man’s expression, his wrinkled face, the reflection of the light in his eyes, his uncombed and greasy hair, and his dirty fingers distinguished it from the neighboring works of Frida Kahlo and Sigmund Freud and kept me engaged while providing context to the term studium.
The punctum factor took to effect after I’d looked at the photo and read the caption. The man was a coal miner, which would explain the less than clean conditions of his face and fingers. Though I couldn’t draw an immediate personal connection, the photo reminded me of my grandfather, who’d owned a shoe repair shop for well over a decade and lives with scars and other marks of toil on his hands that represent the hard work he’d invested into his job. As it relates to this photograph, and really any work of art to which these two concepts apply, punctum serves as the “take away” and plays the bigger role in creating a memory, than the mere appearance based judgment of studium. Punctum inherently forms a connection between the viewer and the artwork, or as Barthes suggests, is the “accident which pricks me,” or the aspect that triggers an emotional response (27).
Though I found it difficult to capture a single photo that embodied studium, partly because most everyday sights will contain some element that is visually appealing, the picture I chose is a token of punctum. This is indeed another cliche picture of the ocean, but personally, my first thought regarded the massive size of the ocean and the homogeneity of the body of water that covers seventy-five percent of the Earth, though is separated into many bodies on a map.
Ronald Osherov
I really liked your analysis on the studium of this photograph, it really made me think about the photo. I also liked how you came to the punctum after reading more about it. I think that says something very strong about the nature of puntum. It wont always be a gut reaction to something that immediately jumps out at the onlooker. The feelings and connection developed don’t have to be instant, they can happen as one looks further and becomes wiser. Really great job and great photograph to illustrate Barthes’ concepts!