Looking at ourselves: A historical and practical exploration of portrait photography
On campus
Alistair Morrison and Dr Timothy Satterthwaite
Monday 8 – Thursday 11 April 2024
£495
Course description
This course explores the paradoxical nature of portrait photography, as both a public and private art form, an expression of social identity and of psychological vulnerability. Through discussion of photographic portraiture from different periods and contexts, and practical experiments in photography and curation, we shall search for insights into the history and contemporary meanings of this vital cultural practice.
The course is intended for everyone interested in the history of photography and portraiture and in the practice of photography. It does not require previous photographic experience, and students can use any digital device – including mobile phones – as their camera; images will be outputted for display as inkjet prints or will be projected.
Lecturers' biographies
Dr Tim Satterthwaite completed his doctorate at The Courtauld in 2016. Since then, he has worked as a lecturer in history of art, photography, and design at universities in London and the southeast, and as a regular tutor on The Courtauld Summer School. Tim is now senior lecturer in Historical and Critical Studies at the University of Brighton. His first book, Modernist Magazines and the Social Ideal, was published by Bloomsbury in 2020. A second, edited volume, Magazines and Modern Identities (Bloomsbury) was published in October 2023.
Alistair Morrison is a prominent International photographer, with over eighty examples of his work included in the primary collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. For the past forty-five years, he has worked alongside some of the most notable international icons and dignitaries. His portraits are collected by private and corporate clients worldwide and he has exhibited in Paris, New York, Palm Beach, Miami, Florence, Berlin, Barcelona, and London.
His recent work Immune from Praise and Abuse takes Morrison closer to his roots, trailing the theme of the Time to Connect project – capturing powerful portraits of ‘everyday’ people, conveying their intimate and personal stories through photography; celebrating who they really are, rather than who they are expected to be.
Website: https://alistairmorrison.com/
Instagram: @alistairmorrisonphotography