Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/04/12

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Subject: [Leica] Why we photograph, artists who photograph, and HCB - golden mean
From: s.dimitrov at charter.net (Slobodan Dimitrov)
Date: Wed Apr 12 12:24:18 2006
References: <C062C43A.F4D0%bdcolen@comcast.net>

That his family was active in overseas colonial businesses is beyond  
dispute. That HCB,as a young man, was sent off  to work in the family  
business is also beyond dispute. He never repudiated that activity,  
or used it for a so called humanist transformative experience. We all  
know he blabbed about everything else, but he was curiously silent on  
this issue. The family income, to which HCB was privy to, was  
dependent on the colonial business.

On the other hand, there are plenty of German sources that address  
the issue of photojournalism in the late 19th Century and early 20th  
Century. In them, one can find material on the need for the  
development of photographic technology, along with the creation of  
the photographic essay as a genre, for the presentation of their  
colonies to the German public. Eventually all colonial countries had  
some form of presentational visual mannerism befitting their  
respective needs.

This URL, from a cursory search, is just a sampling of what is a   
voluminous horde of material on the subject:
http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00000544/01/quanchi_apia.PDF


Slobodan Dimitrov
Studio G-8,
Angels Gate Cultural Center
http://sdimitrovphoto.com





On Apr 12, 2006, at 11:50 AM, B. D. Colen wrote:

> Journalist? HCB? I think not. ;-)
>
>
> On 4/12/06 2:40 PM, "Walt Johnson" <walt@waltjohnson.com> wrote:
>
>> Perhaps I should rephrase that? How can it be assumed HCB was either
>> responsible for being a colonialist or irresponsible for not  
>> repudiating
>> it. There are times when one's gifts (if we have them) transcend  
>> the day
>> to day issues that may be extant. If HCB's work doesn't indicate a
>> certain humanism to those who see it I'd question that person's
>> background and world view, not Cartier-Bresson's.
>>
>> In addition, claiming photojournalism was created to reinforce a
>> European hegemony Is just too French an attitude for anyone to  
>> sincerely
>> advocate. Now you might understand my remarks about wasting time
>> socializing on assignments. Inculcation, my dear Watson, inculcation.
>>
>> Walt
>>
>>
>> Slobodan Dimitrov wrote:
>>
>>>  No where near where you and Buzz are from!
>>>
>>> Slobodan Dimitrov
>>> Studio G-8,
>>> Angels Gate Cultural Center
>>> http://sdimitrovphoto.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Apr 12, 2006, at 11:08 AM, Walt Johnson wrote:
>>>
>>>> Slobodan:
>>>>
>>>> I just have to ask, where the heck are you from?
>>>>
>>>> Walt
>>>>
>>>> buzz.hausner@verizon.net wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dites quoi???????
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> From: Slobodan Dimitrov <s.dimitrov@charter.net>
>>>>>> Date: Wed Apr 12 10:02:30 CDT 2006
>>>>>> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Why we photograph, artists who photograph,
>>>>>> and HCB - golden mean
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Everyone has a fallback position, in case whatever notion one
>>>>>> start's  with won't work in a given situation. You're not far off
>>>>>> in looking  for a common denominator in HCB's output.
>>>>>> HCB graced us with a very clear description of how and why he did
>>>>>> a  majority of his work, and in some cases even addressing
>>>>>> certain  images. But he did it in a methodological mannerism most
>>>>>> people  aren't not familiar with, that being in the apophatic
>>>>>> tradition.  Given his background and classical French education,
>>>>>> it's not too  surprising for him to do this.
>>>>>> My main concern with his work, is his participation in
>>>>>> colonialism  and never repudiating it. Keep in mind that
>>>>>> photojournalism was  created to reinforce the colonial experience
>>>>>> as a positive force for  the European reader and viewer. It makes
>>>>>> an inquiry into the subtext  of his work even more pivotal  
>>>>>> for  any
>>>>>> critique to be credible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Slobodan Dimitrov
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more  
>>>>> information
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> information
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
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Replies: Reply from buzz.hausner at verizon.net (Buzz Hausner) ([Leica] Why we photograph, artists who photograph, and HCB - golden mean)
In reply to: Message from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Why we photograph, artists who photograph, and HCB - golden mean)