Minoxman said:
I think you pay too much emphasis to the "grade of concepts". As in, so and so's concept is superior or deeper than so and so's. In esscence, my niece's dot is inferior to Picasso's because Pica has more to say about that dot than my niece. But Pica's concept may mean **** to my niece's world of imagination because it may not touch her soul. Likewise, JC's concept may mean a lot to you but my point is exactly that it may mean **** to many others, and so why should my niece's concept be any inferior to anyone's?
JC or Picasso or my niece are all the same, conceptually in their own minds. Different, but the same. But the notion that JC was given the benefit of the doubt in his exhibition because of who he is, is troubling. It means people like my niece won;t have a chance to make the million.
I doubt John Clang made his million doing this personal work. more likely his commercial work. Your niece has a chance to make her million. if she actually takes the effort to do something special with her work. not just create technically great pieces, but have that extra bit of special sauce in her pictures that make it uniquely hers. Here we know this is an exhibition of personal works. Perhaps it's a good way of figuring out how a world reknowned photographer thinks.
Picasso and John Clang have proven themselves in their other works, technically and conceptually.
your niece hasn't in either.
Maybe John Clang has something to teach you, a technically proficient photographer who decides to exhibit work that doesn't blow your socks off technically. Have you asked why? Maybe he's trying to tell you that there's more to a photo than its technical aspects.
I don't think all art has to touch your soul. I have my personal preference in art for the artists' works who touch me emotionally. but I am aware that art is not just about "touching" people emotionally. I find it important to view work that challenges my intellect too, it doesn't always have to please me.
It's agreed, we all have our differing standards of what good art is. I don't think anyone is trying to force you to change your opinion. some people are just stating their own opinions too.
There will always be an importance in the "brand" of a person's name. If Einstein said the end of the world was coming people would probably listen to him. A crazy homeless man may say the exact same thing and no one would listen. It is not the same, though they are the same things verbally. Einstein proved himself. Crazy man didn't. Picasso can paint a dot and people would listen. your niece can paint a dot and no one will listen. because Picasso had proven himself already. Accept it. through lots of hard work artists perservere to have their viewpoints and visions heard by the masses. Proving one's skill and credentials gives a person's words more weight. give an artist the benefit of the doubt.
Anyway it's been great having this debate! I just think that most people have this idea of photography being the art of capturing a "beautiful" image. but a thorough understanding of the history of photography will reveal all sorts of interesting concepts which influenced photographers. Concept is important, it drives people's ideas. Cubism, surrealism, landscape photography, documentary photography, minimalism, abstraction, they are all driven by a certain different underlying concepts of the way the world is viewed, and the way it should be projected. I like to give art I don't understand the benefit of a doubt. Perhaps it's just that I don't understand the artist's point of view. So sometimes I try to view it from the artist's point of view.
and caesium, we're not arguing. or have you never disagreed with anyone before without getting into a fight?heh.
In fact I think there should be a sub-menu in the clubsnap forum dedicated to the philosophy of photography. as far as I know it seems the people in most photo forums (photo.net included) seem to be either landscape,documentary or portrait photographers. it may be interesting to bring up issues of different aspects of photography, we may be able to learn from each other's points of view of photography and what it means to us, and perhaps we may be influenced to adjust and try a different approach to photography, when we hear more about other perspectives of photography.
