Vista: Call for papers for with the theme “Photographic Portrait: Convergences, Divergences, Reflections and Thoughts”

Between January 31 and May 2, 2025, the call for papers for Vista Journal with the theme “Photographic Portrait: Convergences, Divergences, Reflections and Thoughts” (No. 16) will be open.

Thematic Editors: Helena Pires (University of Minho, Portugal), Eduardo Camilo (University of Beira Interior, Portugal) and Florin Grigoraş (Universitatea Națională de Arte “George Enescu”, Romania).

The call for papers “Photographic Portrait: Convergences, Divergences, Reflections and Thoughts” aims to bring together works that explore the multifaceted theme of the photographic portrait. We invite submissions from a wide range of fields, including, but not limited to, the history of photography, philosophy of art and photography, visual culture and photographic studies, analysis of visual discourse and photography, semiotics of photography, photographic technologies, ethnography and visual anthropology, sociology of photography and visual communication, technologies of photographic image production and rhetoric of the (photographic) image.

The thematic lines include: (a) theories and philosophical issues of the photographic portrait – for example, the concept of photogenic qualities; (b) the art of the photographic portrait – references, influences, aesthetic currents; (c) uses and effects of the photographic portrait; (d) production technologies of the photographic portrait – analog, digital and smartphone photography; (e) photographic portrait practices – including the studio portrait, the family and vacation portrait, the snapshot, the self-portrait; (f) cognitive psychology and theories of perception – exploring how viewers perceive and interpret photographic portraits; (g) gender and queer studies – examining the role of the photographic portrait in the construction and deconstruction of gender identities; (h) postcolonial studies – exploring the intersection between photographic portraits and issues of identity, power and representation in postcolonial contexts; (i) media studies – analyzing the role of photographic portraits in digital media and online platforms; (j) memory studies – understanding the significance of photographic portraits in personal and collective memory; (k) ethics and theories of representation – discussion of ethical considerations in the creation and display of photographic portraits; (l) digital humanities – study of how computational tools and methods can analyze photographic portraits; (m) marketing and advertising studies – analysis of the role of photographic portraits in digital media and online platforms- analyze the use of photographic portraits in the creation of brands and identities; (n) legal studies – address issues of copyright, privacy and intellectual property in the photographic portrait; (o) critical racial theories – explore how photographic portraits relate to and represent racial identities and power structures; (p) portfolios – present photographic experiences and works; and (q) other angles of analysis – as long as they are restricted to this object of study: the photographic portrait.

In light of the above, we propose the following topics for reflection:
– To what extent can the photographic portrait be considered a genre with a singularity distinct from the pictorial portrait?
– What specific characteristics do contemporary photographic portraits have? What changes have photographic portraits undergone as a result of capture technologies directly linked to social networks (smartphones)?
– What founding principles can be identified in photographic portraits? Is there an “aesthetic” based on their primordial pictorial connection (Oscar Rejlander, Lady Awerden, Nadar)? A commercial basis, stemming from the “photographic industrialization” evident in the studio portrait and the historic carte de visite (Disderi)? A ritualistic function of celebration and remembrance, similar to the portraits in photo albums? A social foundation linked to practices of identity, identification and social conformity? Or an autobiographical foundation reflected in the daily practices of subjective representation and publication on social networks (selfies)?
– What can be inferred about the status of the photographic portrait in the consumer, leisure and travel (vacation) society?
– Is it possible to identify photographers whose portrait work is (still) original, critical and reflective, such as the work of artists like Ralph Eugene Martyard or Cindy Sherman?
Submission period (full texts): from January 31 to May 2, 2025
Publication period: continuous edition (July to December 2025)

LANGUAGE
Articles can be submitted in English or Portuguese. Articles selected for publication will be translated into Portuguese or English, respectively, and must be published in full in both languages.

EDITING AND SUBMISSION
Vista is an open-access academic journal, operating according to demanding peer-review standards, with a double-blind review process. Each paper submitted will be sent to two reviewers previously invited to evaluate it according to its academic quality, originality and relevance to the aims and scope of the journal.
Originals should be submitted via the journal’s website (https://revistavista.pt/). If you are accessing Vista for the first time, you must register in order to submit your article (directions for registering here).
The guide for authors can be consulted here.

For more information, please contact: vista@ics.uminho.pt

[Posted :22-01-2025]