Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Tina - Must still be in slow mode from the flu to get into this one, but, hey, why not? "Weltanschauung" is a wonderful German mouth exercise which sounds impressive enough to be accompanied by a click of the heels and a smart thump of a rubber stamp on official papers. It means world view or outlook on the world. Using it anywhere outside of Germany/Austria/Switzerland (who did I leave out?) is probably almost as pretentious as those incomprehensible photos you saw. Great Calvin quote - wish the cartoon was still around. . . Gary - ---------- > From: Tina Manley > > LUG guys: All right all of you German speakers - What does Weltanschauung > mean? I ask because it's in my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comic: > > Calvin: People always make the mistake of thinking art is created for them. > But really, art is a private language for sophisticates to congratulate > themselves on their superiority to the rest of the world. As my Artist's > Statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore > full of deep significance. > Hobbes: You misspelled "Weltanschauung." > Calvin: A good Artist's Statement says more than his art ever does. > > To connect this to photography - I attended an major exhibition of > photographs that fit Calvin's description of Art - totally incomprehensible. > Huge enlargements, showing film edges, etc., out of focus, muddy (probably > made with plastic cameras) - but with complex Artist's Statements > accompanying each one. At the same exhibit was a small showing of beautiful > photographs by Mexican women photographers - correctly exposed, in focus and > beautifully presented - possible even made with Leicas! When I mentioned to > someone working at the gallery that I much preferred the Mexican > photographers, she said, "Well, they are more "accessible" to most people." > I assume that is ArtSpeak for "you are too stupid to understand the more > complex photographs." As far as I'm concerned, photography is meaningless > unless it communicates something to me. I know everyone on the list has > seen photographs like the ones I am describing. Please either confirm my > feelings or explain to me how blind I am being! How can intelligent gallery > owners fall for such pretension? TIA for your opinions. Tina > > ------------------------------------------ > Tina Manley, ASMP > <http://www.photogs.com/manley/index.html> > <http://www.aperture-photo.com/site/reportage/manley/manleyframeset.html> > <http://www.onlineartistleague.com/manleyt/portfoli.htm>