9/13/09 Jenelle w/Photo Reader essay

Unfortunately I was unable to attend any show/ outing that had to do with photography this weekend. I was out of town. I did get a chance to read an essay from The Photography Reader by Roberta McGrath on pg. 327, Chapter 30 entitled Re-Reading Edward Weston. This part of the book was about “the photographic gaze,” meaning the gaze of the camera and what it (or what the photographer) chooses to “gaze” at. McGrath chose Weston and his photographic nudes to discuss issues of feminism and the underlying psychoanalysis of men and the image of the female body, particularly in the psychoanalysis of Weston. The nude has become a staple of photography and the image of female over male figures has been the source of many arguments; however, Weston’s portfolio consists mainly of the female figure and McGrath discusses why this is. She believes that in Weston’s work one can read issues of the unconscious human mind; issues concerning the never-ending desire to fill this unconscious gap and with women. Even his landscapes and vegetables look like the female figure. In his published diary entitled “Day Books” he describes how women fertilize his work. Interestingly, she brings up psychoanalysis or struggle within ourselves; she believes this struggle can be found in Weston’s images; that he, like others, is born already looking for substance to fill in the blanks and Weston found this substance in women and photography. Great read, I’ll finish the other essays today. Very, very sorry this blog was late but I hope you all get a chance to read this essay. --jenelle