"What I object to is leading people to imagine they are in the presence of art, when they are given diluted imitations having nothing to do with the spirit of an original work...I do object to the making and selling of pseudo-facsimiles, devoid of the sense of touch to be found in a true work of art."
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Alfred Stieglitz
5 comments:
Bullshit. How is that photograph any more "true art" than this digital amature photograph? His rhetoric is an ideological move to be able to maintain power amongst an elite creative group that he himself is defining! Of course he objects to anyone who threatens his position. http://www.avalona.net/wtc/kens_pics/pictures/img_2563.html
We need to look not at the technique but at the finished product and then start making critiques about what is good or bad art.
I really disagree. If we are to only look at the finished product then we are to ignor the process, which is such a major item of the artists' creativity. I consider the creation aspect of photography the main reason why I am still a photographer today. I enjoy and find tremendous value in taking longer amounts of time then what might be assumed to create an image. When that image is finished, I can only look at it for so long before it's visual value fades, but I will always be able to look at it and see the success in my creation of it. Maybe this is only of value to the artist of the work, but that is why photography is so different from the other arts. Anyone can take a good picture, the art of it comes in how they create the image.
Good point - I suppose our ideas aren't mutually exclusive, they work in concert with each other, no?
I like your comment intros..."bullshit" followed up with "good point"...our ideas, on a grand scale, are worthless but yeah I guess they work in conjunction with one another.
I agree with both of the points made.
The final image will, obviously, carry the most weight in communicating to the audience and representing the photographer's skill as an artist. It is the physical representation of both his technical ability and his ideas. It's the vessel, if you will, that connects the artist to his audience. It's the language he uses to communicate to the viewer.
However, the final piece is enhanced and influenced so much by technique and the photographer's technical competency. Personally, I've also found that the time I spend on my craft (the initial shoot, editing, working with the final image, perfecting the final print, etc...) allows me to reflect on the piece itself and why I have chosen to create it. This sounds ridiculously obvious but I feel like this is such a critical period of time for me to finish developing my thoughts or philosophy regarding why I was motivated to even pick up my camera in the first place. This is usually the time where the image begins to finally speak for itself and it's always a startling but amazing experience... something that shouldn't be rushed or taken for granted.
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