After reading Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes, I was immediately taken aback by the idea that a photograph is an eternal representation of a single moment. While I always had that idea floating in the back of my head, I never stopped to think about it. I never considered that the eyes you see in a photograph, such as the eyes of Napoleon’s brother, are the same eyes as the person that existed. Barthes spoke about how a photograph is a machine that can replicate a subject, even after death, or “the return of the dead”.
I understand the concept of stadium and punctum, I believe, according to Barthes, because it’s something that elevates a photograph from the ordinary to the extraordinary. In my mind, I have associated stadium to be the basic levels of a good photograph; something aesthetically pleasing, and showcasing something of importance. Like Barthes explained, it is all culturally homogeneous, everything within the shot belongs together. I appreciate Barthes giving the feeling punctum leaves the spectator with, a name. I have definitely observed photos or even films that left me with a feeling of being punctured, or marked now with some invisible hole. I never knew a way to describe that feeling of being changed by something until Barthes explained it.
The only photograph in the Marcel Sternberger exhibit that I believe contains this stadium and punctum, is one of Albert Einstein from 1950. Albert Einstein was a cultural icon, he was a dignified player in our countries history with his development of the atomic bomb, and is responsible for a lot of the theories and formulas that allow us to understand our world today. In the photo, Einstein is dressed plainly, not like a scientist. He’s laid back and calm, and his smile is friendly and welcoming to the spectator. The stadium fulfillment is there, as he his dressed according to the culture, and overall just looks like Einstein ordinarily would. However, the punctum, for me, is derived by his innocent smile. Despite his involvement in the war and his role in creating a weapon of mass destruction, his smile is able to contrast what he has done and make him appear innocent, while he is far from that. Not only this, but he doesn’t look like a scientist, he looks like a common man, not at all special in any way. He’s dressed like a farmer would dress, and his hair and facial expression is simple, but in reality, he was one of the most extraordinary people of his time, let alone history, and yet Sternberger portrayed him as nothing more than ordinary.
Other than this photo, I don’t believe any of Sternberger’s photos contain both stadium and punctum. They are very nice photographs that capture the likelihood of the people within them, however they lack the elevation that punctum involves.
I find your definitions of studium and punctum very interesting, especially punctum, when you describe it as the feeling a picture leaves you with, that elevates it to a higher level. I happened to have come up with slightly different definitions, but that idea still resonates with me. On a slightly separate note, your thoughts on Einsteins life vs. his photograph are fascinating, and offered me a new way of seeing the picture that didn’t occur to me before.
It is so interesting to me that you thought that this photograph of Albert Einstein was the only photograph in the exhibit that contained studium and punctum. Punctum is subjective, so it makes sense that you maybe not have seen punctum in the other photographs or had the chance to connect to them. It is fascinating that you point out that “Einstein is dressed plainly, not like a scientist”. I did not realize that when I was at the exhibit, which justifies that punctum is subjective. Overall, great work!
I think it is so weird to see ideas such as people being able to be dressed “not like a scientist”. I have these thoughts as well but I always wonder about what they truly mean. It is so interesting to see how society separates the people from their work and usually a uniform defines it. I also find it intriguing that I thought Einstein barely had punctum compared to Rivera. Great post Courtney!