Exercise 'Discussing documentary' Maartje van den Heuvel

Author of the essay questions documentary in an art context, she also discusses its origins and its place in todays visual culture.
The essay begins by underling the current climate influencing the development of the documentary form. We are reminded that with the very dominating and influential presence of the still and moving lens based images, documentary today often concentrates on commenting on 'the way that images are dealt with in the media', rather than the reality, like originally set to do.
The classical documentary began its life at around 1900, with such photographers as Jacob Riss and Lewis Hine, who where determined to reform the lives of the lower classes by informing the rest of the world with their images. The FSA project soon followed with a similar desire to comment and promote changes. With such origins documentary photograph carried on in its tradition throughout the most of the century. Fifties and Sixties saw the documentary photographs published in such magazines as Life, Picture Post, Vu, De Spiegel. 
Further important influence on the documentary tradition had countries like Russia and Germany and their political reforms. Both, Socialism and Communism saw the photography as a new and pure form, rejecting the traditional medium of painting. Camera was used as a tool supporting the revolution. Photographs were showing the everyday man at work as well as his heroic steps in the name of the revolution. Germany on the other hand saw the use of the camera as a tool of resistance to the occupation, it was also widely used in documenting the country post war.
The documentary photography soon took a very specific shape of a grainy 35mm high contrast b&w image, whilst colour and perfection were reserved for the advertising. First attempts to reveal the manipulative effects of media were seen in the 1970s, when the TV became the important part of an everyday life, with that the colour was also introduced.
The modern developments opened up a new path for documentary photography, which no longer centres itself on showcasing the reality and attempting to promote the changes. Its does also concentrate on such things as advertising and fiction and questions the veracity of the modern world. Such path often allows the documentary photograph an easy access to the art galleries and to the more creative surroundings.