The Sternberger exhibit is a magnificent display of photographic portraits, and these pictures perfectly exemplify Barthes’s concepts of studium and punctum. The kind of portraiture that Marcel Sternberger was known for, and really created, was the psychological portrait. The psychological portrait is pretty much what it sounds like; it is a picture of a person taken in such a way that it reveals their psychology, their essence, their exposed self. Sternberger’s process employed just a plain black backdrop and simple lighting, which allowed for full focus on the expression and emotional state of the person he was photographing. With this kind of portrait, it is possible for the outside observer to feel drawn in to the photograph, and to wonder about what was going on behind the scenes and in the subject’s head, in order for the picture to portray them in this way. And that is precisely what punctum is; it’s the personal attachment that breaks the detachment of the original view, the casual glance. This casual, detached glance or viewing is studium. It is the impression you get before becoming personally involved in a picture, and relating to it.
To further explain these concepts of studium and punctum take Sternberger’s photographic portrait of Sigmund Freud, the brilliant psychologist and developer of psychoanalysis. At first glance, it looks like any other portrait of a stuffy, old man. From far away, there’s nothing extraordinary about it, nothing that calls out to you. But step closer, and you will feel his eyes pierce you. Freud is not merely looking through you, he is looking at you, he is making eye contact with you. The depth in his eyes, and in the wrinkles around his eyes, are discernible like they weren’t before. It feels as though Sigmund Freud is with you in person. But of course, in reality, he’s not with you, and that’s what makes Sternberger’s portraiture so remarkable. In the example with Freud, he is able to capture this deep essence you would think to find in an eminent psychologist, were you to meet him in person. However, to achieve that personal relatability through a photograph is a real feat, and that is why Marcel Sternberger’s photographs so perfectly exemplify this concept of punctum. As for studium, there is studium with everything you see. Studium is merely your first impression of something, before you get close enough to it (either literally or figuratively) for it to puncture you. It is the casual glance, or glance from afar, like in the example above.
I agree with your take on the simplistic background of each photograph being the factor that moves the focus to each person’s facial expression. This was obviously more of a psychological exhibit and having less of an emphasis on aesthetics and more on the facial expressions made room for more of a personal connection to each photograph, as you mentioned. Great blog!