UCIA4001 Institution of Art in Our Times

Image 1

The Right to the Street and the Droit à l’Image in Post-1945 France. Clark, C. E. (2017).

The Right to the Street and the Droit à l’Image in Post-1945 France. Clark, C. E. (2017).
 
The artifact represents globalization and culture issues that developed after the war in 1945. Street photography was at the heart of worldwide scrutiny and political outrage from the rights over images. The dissemination behind this powerful image has led to the regulation of media artifacts that we have today. The global culture of photography is now a major part of our everyday media. Clark, C. E. (2017).  The dissemination behind this powerful image has led to the regulation of media artifacts that we have today. The global culture of photography is now a major part of our everyday media. Clark, C. E. (2017). Early photographers always take 2 images, retain one and the other was published. Image 1 was published in April 1953. 

Catherine E. Clarke a professor of french studies published many articles surrounding the history of France and its globalization of photography. With a Genre of Street Photography certainly prompted political propaganda. Who has the rights over the images was certainly under large scrutiny?  The dissemination of the artifacts was debated by French law and changes within the cultural representations and rights to ownership of artifacts. Gendreau, (1999).
 
The political debate extended for many years and the courts would favor an artistic artifact over an industrial one. Nesbit, (1987).  In conclusion of both the authors on the artifact rights was largely debated in court and rather bias towards the street photographers the image rights and ownership are implicit to the artefact. Images that were artistic were aloud rather than industrial ones. There were certainly some bias political motives behind the court decisions. 
 
The plot has continued over the years with hostility clearly demonstrated within the courts towards photography on the street. Regulations regarding the use of artifacts have changed globally with cultural impacts. Barbas, (2015).  The artifact Fig 1 is "a linear narrative" as it shows the historical conflict surrounding the use of street photography.  The artefact is referenced in many media contexts over many years with distinctive flashbacks to the rights over an artifact. 
 
What is striking about the media artefact is that it shows vernacular photography. From the post war period showing everyday life.  As we can see it’s a black and white artifact common for this era which changed to.  The artifact shows a paparazzi style image showing a lady walking down the street. With no expression, possibly without her consent. The artifact is embraced within the frame which is typical for this type of genre. 

In conclusion, the laws have changed regarding the rights of images. Early French Law has shown the political uproar towards image rights. Since 1999, the new rulings have globally favored the rights to ownership as long as they could prove the artifact is indeed artistic or commercial. Giving the way for paparazzi-style photography that we see so much of today. Globally, photography is now a very powerful media representation and continues to be scrutinized within the nations.

Bibliography
Batchen G (2009) Seeing and saying: A response to ‘Incongruous Images’. History and Theory 48(4): 26–33. 
Clark, C. E. (2017) The Commercial Street Photographer: The Right to the Street and the Droit à l’Image in Post-1945 France. Journal of Visual Culture, 16(2), 225–252. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412917716482 (Accessed 24 Nov. 2018).
Figure 1. Anonymous, dated 17 April 1953. 13.9 by 8.9cm. Image courtesy of Seconde Vague Productions, Marseille.
Gendreau, Y. (1999) France. In: Gendreau Y, Nordemann A, Oesch R (eds) Copyright and Photographs: An International Survey. London: Kluwer Law International, 117–33.
Nesbit M (1987) What was an author? Yale French Studies 73: 229–57.