The Photograph as Contemporary Art, Introduction, Ch 1-2

In the introduction, the author Cotton mentions that a lot of photographers and their work was intended to be in books and in galleries, which reminds me of a lot of the work done at the gallery on campus(7-8). Usually whenever I leave campus, I always popped my head in the gallery a few times to see the very interesting pieces there, which in fact could be in books one day. On page 22, Cotton mentions a photograph taken by Alfred Stieglitz, which shows Marcel Duchamp's fountain. I have seemed to remember this piece, and in most classes that I have taken, mention this piece, which I can't seem to forget considering how subtle, yet unique it really is because it's just a urinal turned upside down. Reading about Ukrainian artist Oleg Kulik, on page 25 mentions that he does animalistic performance art, and I find that very unique and interesting. When I read that Kulik even acted like an animal and attacked the police, which to me, was something I have ever heard of. But nonetheless, Kulik sought out to do something that wasn't done before, and that's unique in itself. Cotton also mentions Jeff Wall's work "Insomnia" which has a man lying on his kitchen floor as if he is sleeping (50). This photograph is somehow a glimpse of what an insomniac might go through, but to me stands out as a unorthodox photograph that seems plain, bit also has a story behind it.