Framing Brecht: Photography and Experiment in the Modellbuecher, “Arbeitsjournale”, and “Kriegsfibel”
Imbrigotta, Kristopher, «Framing Brecht: Photography and Experiment in the Modellbuecher, “Arbeitsjournale”, and “Kriegsfibel”». Ph.D., , Ann Arbor, United States 2013
Abstract
Theater is not just a visual art form but also a performative and interactive one. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) developed an innovative theater aesthetic that engaged in distinct ways with visual imagery—especially photographs. These images were vital to both the performance aspect and dramaturgical reception of his craft. Photographs figure significantly in his prose and poetry as well as his essayistic work. While scholars have devoted attention to Brecht’s films and his work in other experimental media, few have addressed the fundamental questions I investigate: How does Brecht employ photography to expose and critique social relations? How did his engagement with the photographic medium differ from that of his contemporaries? This study 1) investigates how photography and mixed-genre experimentation impact his conception of the epic theater, especially in the Modellbücher (model books of the play productions in collaboration with Ruth Berlau and others at the Berliner Ensemble); 2) examines Brecht’s engagement with photography, looking at how the image-texts interrelate in his Kriegsfibel photograms and autographic entries in the Arbeitsjournale; 3) locates instances in the corpus of textual and visual materials relating to his thoughts on and artistic production with images. This study argues for a visual approach to Brecht’s work, providing new insight into his dramatic theories ( Gestus, Verfremdungseffekt), theatrical praxis, and his contributions to visual historiography. Brecht developed techniques to redefine how we “read” mass media images in order to expose contradictions and re-function history.
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Number of pages: 364
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URL: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1437228246/abstract/71CFBF9AA12B46FEPQ/1
Language: Inglese
key: KB6SS4QE