April 2016 – Noa Yaari

Place in Image Captions III

But… ethically, if we think about the caption more as part of the book than as an element that accompanies the artwork, the historian has a say. For example, the caption of Fig. 181 in Burckhardt’s Civilization raises interesting questions about the responsibility of the historian, editor and publisher for updating locations of artworks thatContinue reading “Place in Image Captions III”

Place in Image Captions II

In my last post, I suggested to indicate in captions “any location that contributes to the meaning of the work” when the artwork has no body. Upon reflection I realize that it’s problematic and, unfortunately, I have to disagree. Artworks do not begin and end with a place in which their materiality and physicality settle.Continue reading “Place in Image Captions II”

Place in Image Captions I

Informing readers about the location of the artwork in the caption emphasizes the artworks’ physicality; its existence beyond the printed image somewhere in the world. From the readers’ point of view, identifying a name of a place in proximity to the image and the date of production is perceiving the visual evidence as part ofContinue reading “Place in Image Captions I”