Christian Boltanski

1. How is Boltanski a collector?

Boltanski is a collector because he has a keen interest in in vernacular and found photographs, and loves to display them.

2. What does he collect? Give an example of an artwork and explain.

Christian collects photographs. He loves to display a certain category of artwork on a wall in an extremely creative. way.

Subjective Frame

3. In a paragraph, explain the Subjective Frame.

The subjective frame refers to how you feel about an artwork; what thoughts or emotions it provokes.

4. Pick one of Boltanski’s artworks. What is your first impression of the artwork?

My first impression is that I like the way he displays his photographs because it is different than simply hanging them on a wall or in an album. I feel intrigued and it makes me want to look at the display in depth.

5. What emotions does the artist want to express?

I think the artist wants the viewer to look deeper into an individual photograph; to think about what underlying meanings it has or what thoughts or emotions the photograph represents.

Postmodern Frame

6. In a paragraph, explain the Postmodern Frame.

The postmodern frame incorporates whether the artwork was appropriated, what influenced the artist to make the work or are there any appropriations within the artwork.

7. Is the artwork mainstream or is it outside the mainstream? What makes you say this?

The artwork is outside the mainstream, though what the artwork is made of is very mainstream things. Many portraits are used in Boltanski’s work, but the way they are displayed and sorted is out of the mainstream.

8. How does Boltanski challenge the idea of photography? Does he display it in an unconventional way? Use unusual materials? Photograph strange items? Explain.

Boltanski challenges the idea of photography through displaying individual photographs in a collection in a very. unusual way. Photographs are not normally displayed on a stand in the middle of a room. Unusual materials are used such as wires, lighting, structures, stands or small figurines. He does not photograph strange items, rather he photographs them in a strange way.