At 08:06 3/23/03, Tris wrote:
John, your final sentence is astute. _Nothing_ exists in vacuum, physical
or conceptual.
As for what the viewer might see or feel vis-a-vis the artist's
intention: that's always, and gives life to whatever intelligent
discourse might ensue.
If the purpose of a photograph is communication of something to others,
then in order to be successful it must be on the intended viewers' terms .
. . connecting with their experiential base.
I stand convicted of long ago giving up hope or desire of communicating
with anyone about anything of importance on any level other than my own.
Truth is I don't feel (never felt) able to mimic the world.
To cite a gross example: it is why slide shows of the family vacation
given to others not related to the family have been traditionally and
notoriously so very boring. Photographs that span cultures and
sub-cultures to connect and deliver the same (or similar) message/response
universally are very, very rare . . . most especially those that can do it
over numerous generations.
Disagree (re the second sentence).
One example: nearly all "good" photojournalism proves capable to scale this
cross-cultural, -interest, -experiential hurdle. We expect a given image to
evoke reaction A here and reaction B there, but that is not to argue that
this work somehow failed but largely succeeded.
Another example: competent street photography seems equally suited to hold
interest of widely-disparate peoples. I don't claim to know each
individuals' feeling, reaction to every image thus presented, but it is
reasonable to state these efforts seem to communicate in the most general
sense throughout and across societies as was, presumably, intended.
Of course we don't speak to photographic "art" in these cases but more to
the craft of the greater art and science known as photography--if I may
draw that distinction.
Caveat:
All of the above are statements about photography as an art form in
general and are not directed specifically or solely at the photograph you
posted.
I'd rather have my work dissected critically. I never learned a thing from
a back slap.
The woman in question (in response to someone else's remark) is the wife of
the concert promoter, stationed just off stage to offer support to John
Stewart's infirm wife; this lady's enigmatic face reflects her
concentration on the music.
Tris
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