Re: Ralph Gibson--Leica photographer

[Jeff Moore <jbm@instinet.com>]

> He's somewhat legendary. He's been known since the mid-sixties. Has a
> number of books out. Was just looking at "Infanta" the other day. He's =
a
> colleague and contemporary of Mary Ellen Mark, if that puts it into
> perspective for you.

Y'know, I hate to inject a note of negativity into this generally upbeat =

group (and I'm setting myself up to be eviscerated should anyone here stu=
mble =

across *my* silly snapshots), but I've seen Gibson's photos in magazines =
for =

years, and my reaction has always been to wonder why he has a career. =

Whenever I have a reaction like that, I tend to inspect myself for jealou=
sy;
but there are so many photographers whose work I respect and whose succes=
s =

I applaud (Mary Ellen Mark, for instance, to pick an example right from t=
he =

paragraph above) that I just don't think that's what's going on here.
Gibson's work has usually struck me as really... obvious.  I think there'=
s a =

particular combination of obviousness and pretension (whether real or jus=
t =

built into my perception) which tends to infuriate me, at least if it doe=
sn't
have the excuse of having been perpetrated by someone young in the medium=
:
to go way off topic, that's why I have trouble being in the room when a K=
ate
Bush song is playing.  Anyone have a similar reaction (to Gibson, let's n=
ot =

burn bandwidth on an extended music-criticism thread), or am I just a =

uniquely crotchety crank?

Ah well.  Chacun a son go=FBt.

- -Jeff