"Is a Photograph a Work of Art?" Robin Kelsey on Harvard Magazine's podcast series "Ask a Harvard Professor?"

October 29, 2019

Robin Kelsey, Dean of Arts & Humanities and Professor of Photography, spoke with Jonathan Shaw of Harvard Magazine as part of their podcast series "Ask a Harvard Professor"

 

WHAT MAKES a photograph art? A great photograph may be the result of skill and intention, or it may be the result of dumb luck: a fleeting, perfect composition captured by chance. At a time when there is a camera in every pocket, how do curators distinguish between documentary and artistic work? In this episode, Burden professor of photography Robin Kelsey, the dean of arts and humanities, explores the role of chance in artmaking generally, and in photography in particular.

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