Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/13

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Subject: RE: [Leica] sherman
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:50:24 -0500

Rob - I am not an Eggleston fan, but I can't see putting him in the same
catagory as a Cindy Sherman. Sherman's work is, to me, far too
self-indulgent and gimmicky to be worth much notice. As I said before, only
half-joking, it is the successful commercial version of the self-indulgent
"look at me" shlock most art students turn out at some point and,
thankfully, usually outgrow.

But to each his or her own...

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Robert
Appleby
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 3:13 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] sherman


I haven't seen any of Cindy Sherman's work for a long time, since the mid
80's probably, but I thought her very intriguing and interesting then. I
can still remember the pictures I saw then - only a handful. If she's still
top of the lists then she certainly has staying power, which seems to argue
that maybe there's something there after all.

As far as I'm any kind of a photographer at all, I'm a documentarist, but
Sherman and Eggleston both pass my test for good photography, which is that
they glue my gaze to the page. My eyes take over. Anyone who can play that
trick on my visual centres is doing it right, as far as I'm concerned. Ed
Weston doesn't, for instance, whereas Ansel Adams does occasionally. Beyond
that, I'm not interested in genres or whether it's art or fart.

BTW, do I notice a trend on the LUG? Cindy Sherman, Sally Mann, Susan
Sontag. Is photography a boy's game where the women should keep in the
background nagging about how much equipment we buy?

Rob.
Robert Appleby