Comments on: The least decorative of all the arts . . . http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/ Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:06:43 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Wiliam Bragg http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-13530 Wiliam Bragg Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:23:22 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-13530 [...] The least decorative of all the arts . . . A better salve for that anxiety might be to accept that photography isn’t really an art in the most traditional of senses. Photography certainly doesn’t take the level of technical skill that something like painting or sculpture takes; you can teach someone most of what they need to know about the technical aspects of photography in less than a day. Certain refinements of technical skill may take years to learn, but those pursuits are often coincidental to the act of seeing, which is really the central gift of photography. In this way, I think photography is more akin to writing than it its to other more traditional arts. The gift of a great writer is not in their ability to write a grammatically elegant sentence - although many are masters of this craft - but in their ability to see their subject more clearly and to communicate what is seen. [...] [...] The least decorative of all the arts . . . A better salve for that anxiety might be to accept that photography isn’t really an art in the most traditional of senses. Photography certainly doesn’t take the level of technical skill that something like painting or sculpture takes; you can teach someone most of what they need to know about the technical aspects of photography in less than a day. Certain refinements of technical skill may take years to learn, but those pursuits are often coincidental to the act of seeing, which is really the central gift of photography. In this way, I think photography is more akin to writing than it its to other more traditional arts. The gift of a great writer is not in their ability to write a grammatically elegant sentence – although many are masters of this craft – but in their ability to see their subject more clearly and to communicate what is seen. [...]

]]> By: Best Art Website Guide http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-12546 Best Art Website Guide Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:16:21 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-12546 I believed to know from <a href="http://www.visitthebest.com" rel="nofollow">Visitthebest</a> known things is a drop, unknown things is like a sea. I believed to know from Visitthebest known things is a drop, unknown things is like a sea.

]]> By: Bob Wong http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11964 Bob Wong Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:27:07 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11964 I think central to any discussion relating photography and art is the definition of art and photography. It seems that those wanting to exclude photography from art, are adept at changing the definition of art. On the other hand I think you pretty much hit the nail when you compared photography and writing. I think it is also interesting to note, that one of the traditional forms of art, that of painting has one of the same dichotomies as photography. There is a separation between pretty images and artistic images. The same can be said for most other traditional forms of art. And lastly I'd like to say I like your insightful words... "is the seeing part, the act of selecting from the noise of the world a distillation that improves our understanding of the whole" But I would say that I think this idea applies equally to all forms of traditional art. I think central to any discussion relating photography and art is the definition of art and photography. It seems that those wanting to exclude photography from art, are adept at changing the definition of art.

On the other hand I think you pretty much hit the nail when you compared photography and writing.

I think it is also interesting to note, that one of the traditional forms of art, that of painting has one of the same dichotomies as photography. There is a separation between pretty images and artistic images. The same can be said for most other traditional forms of art.

And lastly I’d like to say I like your insightful words…

“is the seeing part, the act of selecting from the noise of the world a distillation that improves our understanding of the whole”

But I would say that I think this idea applies equally to all forms of traditional art.

]]> By: Zenhdu « rveWong’s Weblog http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11961 Zenhdu « rveWong’s Weblog Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:11:09 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11961 [...] Matt Alofs has some interesting words comparing photography with art. [...] [...] Matt Alofs has some interesting words comparing photography with art. [...]

]]> By: Musings on Photography http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11925 Musings on Photography Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:07 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11925 [...] Matt Alofs, whose photography I greatly admire, has a very much worth reading post on his blog, about whether we actually WANT photography to be considered art. [...] [...] Matt Alofs, whose photography I greatly admire, has a very much worth reading post on his blog, about whether we actually WANT photography to be considered art. [...]

]]> By: Wiliam Bragg http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11893 Wiliam Bragg Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:06:05 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11893 [...] The least decorative of all the arts . . . A better salve for that anxiety might be to accept that photography isn’t really an art in the most traditional of senses. Photography certainly doesn’t take the level of technical skill that something like painting or sculpture takes; you can teach someone most of what they need to know about the technical aspects of photography in less than a day. Certain refinements of technical skill may take years to learn, but those pursuits are often coincidental to the act of seeing, which is really the central gift of photography. In this way, I think photography is more akin to writing than it its to other more traditional arts. The gift of a great writer is not in their ability to write a grammatically elegant sentence - although many are masters of this craft - but in their ability to see their subject more clearly and to communicate what is seen. [...] [...] The least decorative of all the arts . . . A better salve for that anxiety might be to accept that photography isn’t really an art in the most traditional of senses. Photography certainly doesn’t take the level of technical skill that something like painting or sculpture takes; you can teach someone most of what they need to know about the technical aspects of photography in less than a day. Certain refinements of technical skill may take years to learn, but those pursuits are often coincidental to the act of seeing, which is really the central gift of photography. In this way, I think photography is more akin to writing than it its to other more traditional arts. The gift of a great writer is not in their ability to write a grammatically elegant sentence – although many are masters of this craft – but in their ability to see their subject more clearly and to communicate what is seen. [...]

]]> By: matt http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11886 matt Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:18:36 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11886 'many photographers today are much better at thinking than seeing' Thinking is good too. Conceptual photography is fine, and it may well have a better claim to art status, but it's such a small portion of photography and the one portion that seems most derivative of painting, that I'm not sure how entirely relevant it is to most photographers. ‘many photographers today are much better at thinking than seeing’

Thinking is good too. Conceptual photography is fine, and it may well have a better claim to art status, but it’s such a small portion of photography and the one portion that seems most derivative of painting, that I’m not sure how entirely relevant it is to most photographers.

]]> By: Blake http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11884 Blake Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:46:29 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11884 Well said. The unspoken corollary is that much of contemporary photography is not at all about seeing, but about conceiving an idea and then executing it. Be it typological studies, elaborate film sets, kids crying on cue, or whatever, much photography today is conceptual, while seeing is secondary. The pure forms of photography in which seeing is critical --street photography, found scenes, vernacular social landscape-- have been marginalized by the mainstream photo world. What this means is that, sadly, many photographers today are much better at thinking than seeing. Well said. The unspoken corollary is that much of contemporary photography is not at all about seeing, but about conceiving an idea and then executing it. Be it typological studies, elaborate film sets, kids crying on cue, or whatever, much photography today is conceptual, while seeing is secondary. The pure forms of photography in which seeing is critical –street photography, found scenes, vernacular social landscape– have been marginalized by the mainstream photo world. What this means is that, sadly, many photographers today are much better at thinking than seeing.

]]> By: matt http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11875 matt Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:37:36 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11875 'Whatever you’re drinking seems to be working' Yesterday it was Stella Artois and a cheap but tasty cote du rhone. ‘Whatever you’re drinking seems to be working’

Yesterday it was Stella Artois and a cheap but tasty cote du rhone.

]]> By: On Photography as Art « Red Skies at Night http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11869 On Photography as Art « Red Skies at Night Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:53:29 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11869 [...] On Photography as Art Filed under: noted — ejeschke @ 10:53 pm I ran across this great post on Matt Alof’s blog that digs a little into the question of the relationship between photography and art.  Just a head’s up for my blog readers to head over there and read it; I really think he’s hit the nail on the head in the analogy to writing.  Probably the most succinct and right-feeling clarification about a collective long-held anxiety by photographers over the last century that I have read in a long, long time. No, really, go read it. Now. [...] [...] On Photography as Art Filed under: noted — ejeschke @ 10:53 pm I ran across this great post on Matt Alof’s blog that digs a little into the question of the relationship between photography and art.  Just a head’s up for my blog readers to head over there and read it; I really think he’s hit the nail on the head in the analogy to writing.  Probably the most succinct and right-feeling clarification about a collective long-held anxiety by photographers over the last century that I have read in a long, long time. No, really, go read it. Now. [...]

]]> By: Brandon Scott http://1pt4.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/comment-page-1/#comment-11850 Brandon Scott Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:42:30 +0000 http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/the-least-decorative-of-all-the-arts/#comment-11850 Brilliant! Whatever you're drinking seems to be working; I think you're on to something. Brilliant! Whatever you’re drinking seems to be working; I think you’re on to something.

]]>