Picturesque Photo Essay

This assignment is inspired by Ron Broglio’s work on teaching the picturesque, especially his Kodak assignment (see his reflection on this assignment here: “The Picturesque and the Kodak Moment”; see the original assignment here: “Landscapes and the Kodak Moment”).

The picturesque photo essay asks you to experiment with the aesthetics of ruin, produce your own vision of ruin, and reflect on these aesthetics in relationship to course materials.

Basic Requirements

  1. Produce two visual artifacts that are inspired by a local setting. The only requirement is that the setting be outdoors and include some natural scenery. You may use photography, paints & watercolors, collage, or another medium approved by your professor. If you choose to create a physical artifact, you must also digitize it for virtual display.
    • One artifact should invoke a historical sense of the picturesque, practicing the ideals set forth by Gilpin and Kodak.
    • One artifact should communicate your own (contemporary) perspective on the landscape, which might include digital manipulation of the image.
  2. Draw upon at least three peer-reviewed sources to develop your discussion of the picturesque.
  3. Accompany your artifacts and research with an essay that critiques your artwork in relation to (a) theories on the sublime and picturesque, (b) visual rhetoric, and (c) your own artist’s manifesto. Length: may vary, 1800-2300 words.

Ideas for Achieving Excellence

  1. Present additional images, which might include scenes of the multiple stages you went through to create the final images, examples of the un-picturesque, or meaningful close-ups of your final images.
  2. Embed or package your images in interesting ways on your web page, which might include links to a Prezi or SlideShare.
  3. Draw upon related historical texts about the picturesque, such as essays by Uvedale Price or Richard Payne Knight, travel writing by Dorothy Wordsworth, or artwork by J.M.W. Turner and others.

Submission

  • Submit your images and essay as a “new page” on your group’s blog.