Part 1
“I decided then to take as a guide for my new analysis the attraction I felt for certain photographs. For of this attraction, at least, I was certain. What to call it? Fascination? No, this photograph which I pick out and which I love has nothing in common with the shiny point which sways before your eyes and makes your head swim; what it produces in me is the very opposite of hebetude; something more like an internal agitation, an excitement, a certain labor too, the pressure of the unspeakable which wants to be spoken. Well, then? Interest? Of brief duration; one can either desire the object, the landscape, the body it represents; or love or have loved the being it permits us to recognize; or be astonished by what one sees; or else admire or dispute the photographer’s performance, etc.; but these interests are slight, heterogeneous; a certain photograph can satisfy one of them and interest me slightly ;and if another photograph interest me powerfully, I should like to know what there is in it that sets me off. So it seemed that the best word to designate (temporarily) the attraction certain photographs exerted upon me was advenienceor even adventure.This picture advenes, that one doesn’t” (Barthes 19).
-Chapter 7 is from page 18-20
Roland Barthes on the first page of the novel explains that he desperately wanted to learn photography. Barthes breaks down the parts of photos into three categories: the operator, target, and spectator. In the seventh chapter Barthes focuses on the spectator. Barthes is curious about what his interest is called and why he is intrigued. Barthes decides to called his interest “advenience” or “adventure”. This chapter of Part 1 connected with me the most. As Barthes mentions I am surrounded by photography constantly. Sometimes I take notice of a photo and other times I pass right by. This chapter made me realize that I take notice of photography first then I look closer for details. Barthes uses an example from Sartre in which he explains that magazines and newspapers have photos but leave almost no impression on him. Barthes explains that photographs need to animate the viewer to create every adventure. This chapter was crucial to understanding the spectator. It was previously mentioned in chapter four but chapter 7 gave me clarity in the role the spectator has on a photo.
Part 2
“Something like an essence of the Photograph floated in this particular photograph. I therefore decided to “derive” all Photography (its “nature”) form the only photograph which assuredly existed for me, and to take it somehow as a guide for my last investigation. All the world’s photographs formed a Labyrinth. I knew that at the center of this Labyrinth I would find nothing but this sole picture, fulfilling Nietzsche’s prophecy: “A labyrinthine man never seeks the truth, but only his Ariadne.” The Winter Garden Photograph was my Ariadne, not because it would help me discover a secret thing (monster or treasure), but because it would tell me what constituted that thread which drew me toward Photography, I had understood that henceforth I must interrogate the evidence of Photography, not from the viewpoint of pleasure, but in relation to what we romantically call love and death. (I cannot reproduce the Winter Garden Photograph. It exists only for me. For you, it would be nothing but an indifferent picture, one of thousands manifestations of the “ordinary”; it cannot in any way constitute the visible object of science; it cannot establish an objectivity, in the positive sense of the term; at most it would interest your stadium: period, clothes, photogeny; but in it, for you, no wound)” (Barthes 73).
In chapter thirty Barthes explains the most valuable photo to him. He calls this photo the Winter Garden Photograph. Barthes was very close to his mother and when she passed away he was obviously heartbroken. In chapter twenty-nine he explained following her death he could do no more then wait for his inevitable death. Searching for a photograph that captured his mother’s essence Barthes came across the Winter Garden Photograph. Barthes explains finding this photo was similar to finding treasure. I chose this chapter because it shows how much the spectator can influence a photo. In my opinion the spectator is the most important part of a photo. Barthes explains that this photo would mean nothing to his audience but it means everything to him. The Winter Garden Photograph shows that one’s animation towards the photo affects the way one interprets a photo. Everyone is different and everyone can find different photos amazing or horrible.
Question
The three parts of a photo are the operator, target, and spectator which is the most important? Are they equal in importance? Explain the function of each part.
Christian,
For part one, I like how you connected Barthes’ discussion of the spectator to his interest in photography in the beginning of the novel and the three categories of photographs he describes. Furthermore, it was interesting to read how you connect with photography in relation to what Barthes says about a photograph and its detail. You’re totally right about Barthes’ view on adventure in regards to photography and that the goal of a photograph is to animate the viewer. After all, photography is truly about the spectator, as you mention in part two. I’m glad that chapter 7 clarified his points in chapter 4 for you. For part two, I like that you referenced the Winter Garden Photograph and how finding it was like finding a treasure. It’s very true that photography is entirely subjective, so I might like one painting but you might hate it, and vice-versa. I think you did a great in-depth analysis of how the chapters in this book relate to each other and Barthes’ view on photography. Furthermore, I like your question and I think it ties in well with your analysis. Nice job!
Hey Christian,
I think that you picked two very interesting quotes that are integral to the reading. For instance, the first quote is a big part of part one as it highlights some very important terminology that Barthes uses throughout the book. You response to the quote was really good as well, as you were able to explain the terminology very briefly but at the same time gave your own experience, which helped me understand the quote a lot more. Next, the passage you picked for Part Two, I thought, was part of a very important discovery for Barthes along his movement from idea to idea. Him finding that perfect photograph after pages and pages of him writing about photos that he didn’t like was a relief to the reader but also helped the reader understand what he was really looking for. Your analysis of the quote is right on the nose. It is hard to capture the essence of someone within a photograph. In fact, I chose a similar quote in my own blog post. Finding his mother was more than just finding a photo that looked good. He had to feel that this was the woman he knew and loved that raised him. I guess the Winter Garden photo was that for him. All in all, really interesting post Christian.