Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] suprises and disappointment
From: Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 09:49:11 -0800

>>Speaking about your work is very important in the art world.
>
>It's a disease. They take very literally the old adage that a picture is
>worth a thousand
>words. Usually the artistic merit is inversely proportional to the amount
>of words used
>to describe it. Try reading modern art criticism. I gave up after I
>misplaced my secret
>decoder ring.
>Robert

>Robert, you said it better than I ever could have....the "criticism" you
>describe
>is more university-sponsored pseudo-intellectual PC speak....Jeezus, I never
>took Orwell literally 'til the 90s.......
>Best to U and URS,
>Walt


Are you guys saying that there should not be any critical discourse about
photography or art, or just not the complicated kind?

Should we just stick to: "I like it." "Boy that's neat." "I don't
understand it." "That's crap." etc.?

Or should we just not talk about it at all?

While there is a lot of uninspired and overly academic art/photography
criticism out there, there are also well written, thought provoking studies
of art and photography that we can learn a lot from, if we're willing to
make the effort to actually read and understand them, and maybe even
discuss them with other people.

You guys seem to have a "point and shoot" attitude with respect to talking
about art/photography: the less we have to think and say about it the
better. Anything requiring study and thought is too intellectual, academic,
unnecessarily complex, etc.

Believe me, I am no fan of conventional academic prose styles, having
slogged through years of it in college. As a photographer, however, I'm
interested in reading what others - both photographers and critics - have
to say about this activity. If nothing else, it only broadens my
appreciation and understanding of photography and gives me something to
think about, even if I disagree with it. To limit myself to the exchange of
evaluative opinions is, well, too limiting.

Guy
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