Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]<<< Well let's see. Her photos seem dreamy, technically poor, unfocused and mostly pointless. Also amateurish 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. >>> Who the hell is Sylvia Plachy? Is she a friend of Eggleston? My daughter (Jillian) and her friend (Jane), taking advanced photography in college, entered three photographs each (the max) that were matted and framed, for the college art exhibit. 11x14 B&W prints. Great dynamic range, good tones, really sharp, Ilford Warmtone, beautiful prints. Of the 200 or so artists that submitted work (up to three pieces each) only 70 pieces were chosen. Jillian had all three chosen and Jane had two. Pretty good averages for these two. Last night was the Art Exhibit open house, so we all went. there were probably eight other photographs, most were very good. Infrared, Ilfochrome, etc. There were some really good oils, water colors, modern art pieces, etc. There was, of course, the usual "what the hell is it category" (my designation) of hacked up mannequins to a piece of firewood sitting on a pedestal. You know the stuff I'm talking about. But there was a photograph, that defied explanation as to how it got in. And it won the photo category. It was a 5x7 machine print of a cat looking over the shoulder of its owner. Point & shoot. Flat lifeless, low resolution print. Glued onto a matt board, not matted, you get the drift. I stood by it for awhile and listened to folks comments. Not a single good comment. "Why is that picture in here?" "I've taken a better picture than that with my Snappy." "Geez... what a ridiculous picture to have in an art exhibit." etc, etc, etc... And the college photo instructors were there as well. I cannot repeat on the LUG what they said to me about the fact that "that" photograph actually got exhibited, and I R-E-A-L-L-Y cannot repeat what they said about its winning. They must have been in the US Navy before they became photographers. But I guess this tells you something about the folks that pick Art. It also tells you something about the definition of the word "Art." Jim