Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bob- I very much appreciate your comments. I would add that I think to some extent, "A"rt can be based upon documentation, but involves a larger project. I.e. some paintings by David document Napoleon in battle or enthroned, but also explicitly involve many other cultural references, the idea of royalty, a project of defining Napoleon, etc. I think Richard Misrach (at least a very part time Leica user), for example, feels he is an "A"rtist, but made many "documentary" type photos. However, as a group created over a long period of time, one can see coherent themes that he is exploring on a level beyond the subject matter. These themes are also a subject that are embedded in his work, which is superficially documentary (the landing of the space shuttle, the burning man celebration, tourism, bomb sites, etc.). I think this puts him in a tradition of European/American landscape painting, not unlike the Hudson River School. Since I like his work, I would say that the themes are complex, somewhat ambiguous, and rich enough to stimulate and reward contemplation and revisiting over time. This is what makes it "A"rt for me. Something similar could be said for Weegee's NY or Avedon's West (I actually think Avedon is very much like David or Ingres). I would say that in some ways, Nachtwey and Salgado do have some larger "themes" or "projects" in their work -- i.e. they are not necessarily on assignment from UPI or National Geographic (although they could be). If, through editing and presentation, they seek to express much larger issues and themes in a complex, even contradictory way, then I would tend to view them as art. A more direct statement would be more documentary. However, I don't think they are there yet for me -- they seem a bit too focused on the facts and are, as you put it, documentary. I am not a big fan of the Family of Man, but would say that while many of the individual photos are documentary, the installation (and to a lesser degree the book) is itself an art work because of the broader ideas it was trying to put together and express. We are also in a time when images dominate everyday life and thus photo (also video, film) as a medium is at the fore. Museums thus want to show photos as Art because they are a more direct reflection of dominant cultural themes and also attract people. Thus, ICP has a show of Annie Liebowitz and I would not be surprised if the Guggenheim were to do a retrospective of Patrick Dumarchelier. Michael Waldron