Lyric Documentary: Inventing a Genre

The course looks at a significant development in American photography in recent years, the emergence and gradual acceptance of the practice of ‘lyric documentary’ photography. Lyric documentary as a genre was developed by American photographers like Mark Steinmetz, John Gossage, Judith Joy Ross, and Gregory Halpern. As Halpern states: “I see fiction and nonfiction as existing on a spectrum [and] the middle might be occupied by things like lyric documentary and creative non-fiction.” In the course, the students will study the genre of lyric documentary photography through in-depth looks at various art projects, and develop a critical understanding of its strengths and drawbacks in terms of creating meaningful representations of American life.

The course offers an in-depth look at a significant development in American photography in recent years, the emergence and gradual acceptance of the practice of ‘lyric documentary’ photography. Tracing its conceptual origins to a lesser-known lecture by Walker Evans at Yale University in 1964, lyric documentary as a genre was subsequently developed by American photographers like Mark Steinmetz, John Gossage, Judith Joy Ross, and Gregory Halpern.

The term has helped put brackets around thorny questions of truthfulness and manipulation in photography, by focusing on the primacy of an artist’s “inner voice” over objective documenting. As Halpern states: “I see fiction and nonfiction as existing on a spectrum. If science fiction represents one end of the spectrum and journalism represents the other, the middle might be occupied by things like lyric documentary and creative non-fiction.”

One could make the case that lyric documentary allowed these artists to find ways in which they foreground beauty and celebrate Americana in their work, against a backdrop of a society increasingly defined by hardship and division. In the course, the students will study the genre of lyric documentary photography through in-depth looks at various art projects, and develop a critical understanding of its strengths and drawbacks in terms of creating meaningful representations of American life.

Eggleston, William. Guide to America. 1976

Evans, Walker. American Photographs. 1938

Gossage, John. The Nicknames of Citizens. 2020

Halpern, Gregory. ZZYZX. 2016

Steinmetz, Mark. South Central. 2004.

It is not necessary for the students to purchase these books, study materials will be made available.

The student knows and understands:

- The ways in which lyric documentary gradually developed as a genre in American photography.

- Key photographers in this genre and the way in which they produced their projects, developed their aesthetic goals, and sought to create representations of America with their work.

The student is able to:

- Reflect on how this documentary style originated as a cultural construct in the early 20th century and how it was subsequently revised/developed/critiqued by the photographers we focus on.

- Understand and contribute to critical debates surrounding photographic art, specifically when it comes to lyric documentary as a genre that celebrated American culture despite the challenges facing American society in recent decades.

The student is ready to:

- Critically asses the aesthetic and cultural value of photographic work in general, and lyric documentary specifically, in terms of its ability to document the American experience.

- Write a term paper that demonstrates a clear understanding of the course material and that develops a well-argued position on one or several of the topics discussed in the seminars.

In-class participation - 25%

Homework assignments - 25%

End of term paper – 50%