Abstract
This essay recharacterizes Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and others’ use of ‘straight photography’ as a deliberate modernist strategy that invites the viewer to distinguish between what the photographer foresaw in their photographs and what they intended. As such, ‘previsualization’ is shown to be a method that engages genre conventions inherited from fine art painting and not a necessary quality of art photographs. The first portion of this essay illustrates how versions of previsualization and foresight informed the aesthetic theories of John Ruskin and Peter Henry Emerson. Then, it shows how ‘straight’ photographers pushed against this tradition, inviting viewers to distinguish between photographic foresight and artistic intention. I conclude by suggesting ways the separation of foresight and intention could ramify into our understanding of other arts.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
