Re: [Leica] Sylvia Plachy OT (a bit)

[Photovilla@aol.com]

Well let's see. Her photos seem dreamy,  technically poor, unfocused and 

mostly pointless. Also amaturish and not "well seen."  Sad in a way that I 

find .... depressed and depressing; she sure sounded depressed when I heard 

her speak.   I guess part of the problem is her (eastern) European 

sensibility and her overwhelming sense of loss.  I just don't get it, but I 

know many people do. She did seem like a very nice person. BTW, I lived on 

Ave. B before it was fashionable too. Arthur>>




Arthur,

First let me say that I'm not trying to pick a fight -just registering a 
contrary opinion. I know how the tone of written text can quickly incite a 
riot when misinterpreted. ;->

<<Her photos seem dreamy,  technically poor, unfocused and 

mostly pointless.>>

Just today someone, hearing my music on-hold, said almost the same thing 
about Miles Davis. I guess they are both acquired tastes..."pointless" or 
"genius" who knows...neither says much about the art.

Using art to cope with a "overwhelming sense of loss" is probably one of the 
best things an artist can do for me. That IS the point of much great art from 
Van Gogh to Billie Holiday. It is not the only motivator to create art, but 
it turns out to be a really good one. There is a lot less cliche to that 
work, then to work which worships the grotesque or the beautiful from what I 
can see in the history of photography and art.

Of course no matter how good one thinks a piece of art is, someone else can 
always say "I don't like it." That is always valid for what it is worth. Art 
is, simply, not science.

Saying that her work is depressing and that she is depressed are two 
different things. I can certainly see the "dreariness" that is captured in 
many of her images...though I don't think that means she is depressed 
personally.  

As far as being technically poor, I don't think that is really the case. She 
uses a lot of motion blur, shallow depth-of-field, and low light photography 
very effectively. While a Leica lens is able to make photos that will slice 
your retinas off, it doesn't mean that is the only way to make a photo with 
it.

Incidently, the images I saw of Sylvia's in the Met are neither dreary nor 
out of focus. It is a series of photos of an argument between two people that 
creates a sort of visual dialog. Quite intriguing to me, maybe even 
slick...but not amateurish at all.

With all of this said I can truthfully say that I like MOST photography. I am 
just the opposite of most of those who have photographed for as long as I 
have...the more I see the more I like. I can usually find something to like 
in any work and I do believe that all art (and thus also most photography) is 
an individual quest of self exploration and expression with the results being 
only secondary.

BTW, it sounds like we were neighbors for a good deal of time. I lived in the 
village for the past 15 years before moving out just two months ago to avoid 
a staggering rent increase and to find a new visual landscape. Sometime 
you'll have to drop by the showroom and we'll talk Leicas, photography and 
the pre-G days if you know what I mean. ;->

later,
Rich