Before I address the ideas of studium and punctum, I will address the most impactful part of this text to me. This was the idea that once a photograph was taken it was an event that could never be replicated. I have always thought of how the seconds that pass can never be replicated because it won’t be the same day or time of year. However, I never realized how similar that concept is to many aspects of our lives including that of photographs. Once we take a picture, even if we try to recreate the pose and clothing, it will never be exactly the same as the first. That idea is baffling and unsettling, but it is a fact of life. Now, onto the aspects of studium and punctum. Studium is described as not only a study. Barthes describes it as “application to a thing, taste for someone, a kind of general enthusiastic commitment, of course, but without special acuity” (26). I think that we have always considered this term in class, but it is now that we can put a name to it. It relates to the “what is art” discussion that occurred on the first day. This concept is basically looking at a picture and being able to process it, but not connect or deeply resonate with it. I believe that all of the pictures in the Sternberger exhibit involved studium. All of these works caught my eye, because they were all in black and white. Also, the arrangement of the exhibit also sparked some of my attention, but not all of my attention. Then, this is when we move onto the punctum part. As noted by Barthes, punctum is “the accident which pricks me” (27). I think that this happened to me with several photographs. I thoroughly enjoy history, so seeing figures such as the Shah of Iran and Franklin Delano Roosevelt intrigued me to stop in front of the pictures and question it. I realized for some pictures how I spent two seconds looking while for others I stood in front of them and questioned. The most intriguing picture to me had to be the Diego Rivera picture. He was the only one with a dramatic facial expression, and he was the one with the most punctum. I instantly thought about his life, including his infidelity and the amazing artist Frida Kahlo who was his wife.
The photograph I have chosen for myself that had the most punctum and studium has to be this image of a woman looking down into her arms. It is a photograph of a painting. I asked Amy to come with me to this concert, and then this artist randomly starting throwing out his work. People ran to grab some of his art as they said they would decorate their dorms with it. It intrigued me to see the art in the dumpster. This initial studium passed as punctum disturbed and I thought: why would he throw away such beautiful work? Was he a “failed” artist? Was this work he did not want? Were these drafts? Why did he not sell them? Who is this woman in the painting? Why were all these white man’s paintings so effectively portraying and celebrating black women only? For the rest of the night, I bonded with strangers at the concert about his work, and his other paintings.
-Marie Traore
Marie,
Art is meant to be personal and that is what you did with Barthe’s Studium and Punctum. I love how you related your experience with the first question of Blog Assignment #1 “what is art?”. Also, I found your story with the artist quite sad yet interesting.
Great work,
Andrew Langer
I love how you related Barthe’s text to the discussion of art as a whole and particularly our in-class discussion of “what is art?” I also agree that all of Sternberger’s works were captivating, the “studium” because of their black and white quality, as well as their central subject composition. I love your example of the personal photograph we were asked to take- for the meaning behind the photograph.
The way the photography impacted you and made you come to some sort of a realization is absolutely amazing. It really shows that you connected with the writing and the photography on a whole new level I wish I could’ve. You truly understand every part of the analysis and the questions you ask toward the end are questions that still run through my head days after the assignment. Great work! Also, love the photo you included!
I really loved how you noticed that all the pictures were unique and jumped out because they were in black and white. You also did a really great job clarifying the differences between studium and punctum (sometimes the ideas can be a little confusing). The picture you took of that artist’s discarded paintings, along with your connection and analysis of them to Barthes’ ideas really hit the nail on the head. Great work!
Hey! Your post is wonderful! I love that you used the reading to fill in and further develop you personal definition of “what is art.” Also, the story about what you witnessed at the concert is very thought provoking!