CITY-PHOTOGRAPHY-MODERNITY Visualizing Antwerp and São Paulo through the lenses of Fierlants (1819-1869) and Azevedo (1837-1905). Gustavo Racy Supervisor Prof. Dr. Paolo S.H. Favero Doctoral Committee Prof. Dr. Luc Pauwels Prof. Dr. Marnix Beyen Prof. Dr. Scott McQuire Doctoral Jury Prof. Dr. Norval Baitello Junior Prof. Dr. Stéphane Symons. The content of this publication may be reproduced with due credits to its author Cover Design: Felipe Racy Dias Printed by Universitas Digital Printing Antwerp Contact :
[email protected] Copyright © Gustavo Racy, 2018 Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Communication Studies CITY-PHOTOGRAPHY-MODERNITY Visualizing Antwerp and São Paulo through the lenses of Fierlants (1819-1869) and Azevedo (1837-1905). Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in the Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp, to be defended by Gustavo RACY Supervisor Prof. Dr. Paolo S.H. Favero Antwerpen, 2018 To Juliana, my fortress. To my parents, to Vivien, Fernando and Arthur. To the one who prophesised I´d be here one day, defending my PhD at 30 years old. You were gone way too soon, but you live in all of us, who had the honour to be your students. Graciela Deri De Codina (in memoriam) A sabedoria mais fina é a que distingue imagens no invisível. José Luis Peixoto Abstract The current research focuses on the nexus between photography, modernity, and the city. Building on a critical exploration of the opus of two mid-nineteenth century photographers – Edmond Fierlants from Antwerp, and Militão Augusto de Azevedo from São Paulo – the study aims to provide a theoretical and methodological dialogue between the field of visual culture and philosophy, especially through a Benjaminian materialist perspective.