The Düsseldorf School of Photography: social and mythological

Abstract

The paper concerns the issues of the Dusseldorf School of photography that can be viewed from two main poles. The author examines the possibility of combining two analytical traditions in the investigations of the Dusseldorf School of photography. On one hand, the pictorial tradition of the Art Academy in Düsseldorf is closely related to a social system. On the other hand, the photography of the Dusseldorf School forms a mythological and epic construct. The tradition of the Düsseldorf School of photography permits one to interpret the social system as a mythological space. Special attention is paid to the works of Kraus, Barthes and Baudrillard. Investigations of the major correlates of social issues and their comparison to the elements of epic systems as they have been realised in the paper can mark a new emphasis in the study of pictorial traditions for one of the most remarkable modern photographic schools as well for contemporary art in general. Refs 11.