"The Photograph as Contemporary Art" - Introduction - Learning points

The course material includes also "The Photograph as Contemporary Art", a very interesting book written by Charlotte Cotton published by Thames and Hudson (London 2014 Third edition). As I decided to do for my practical course, I would like to keep track of my learning points as I gradually go on reading the book reporting the most important sentences by the above author.
No copyright infringement intended - photographs will be removed immediately upon request.

This book is intended to provide an introduction to and an overview of the field of photography as contemporary art, with the aim of defining it as a subject and identifying its characteristic features and themes.

The chapters of the book divide contemporary art photography into eight categories.
The themes of the chapters are concerned with grouping photographers who share common ground in their motivations and working practices.

Chapter 1 "If this is Art" considers how photographers have devised strategies, performances and happenings specially for the camera.

Chapter 2 "Once Upon a Time" concentrates on storytelling in art photography. It looks at the prevalence of "tableau" photography in contemporary practise.

Chapter 3 "Deadpan" gives the greatest consideration to the idea of a photographic aesthetic. It relates to a type of photography that has a distinct lack of visual drama or hyperbole.

Chapter 4 "Something and Nothing" concentrates on subject matter, how contemporary photographers have pushed the boundaries of what might be considered a credible visual subject. Everything in the real world is a potential subject.

Chapter 5 "Intimate Life" concentrates on emotional and personal relationships as a collective diary of human intimacy.

Chapter 6 "Moments in History" covers the use of the documentary capacity of photography in art. Contemporary art photography presents allegories of the consequence of political and individual upheaval.

Chapter 7 "Revived and Remade" explores a range of recent photographic practice that centres on and exploits our pre-existing knowledge of imagery.

Chapter 8 "Physical and Material" focuses upon photography in which the very nature of the medium is part of the narrative of the work.

While the expanding and rethinking of the history of photography continues to influence contemporary art photography, the second decade of the twenty-first century has ushered in an era of incredible confidence and experimentation within this field of artistic practice.
It is distinctly different from the late twentieth century process of validating photography as a widely recognised, independent art from through its stylistic and critical alignment with traditional art forms, especially painting.
Now that photography's identity as contemporary art has been accepted as fact, the stage is set for new and exiting turns in its development.

William Egglestone - Untitled, 1970