Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => But is it Art? => Topic started by: wolfnowl on November 22, 2013, 02:15:37 am

Title: Louise Quinby
Post by: wolfnowl on November 22, 2013, 02:15:37 am
Some lovely non-representational work here: http://artpresence.ca/

Mike.
Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: Rob C on November 22, 2013, 04:22:46 am
Mike, I feel obliged to quote Andrew from another thread:

"Fine Art is barely about the work at all these days, regardless of medium. Quite explicitly. It's about process and narrative surrounding the work as much or more than the work itself.

That is to say, it's explicitly and openly about the bullshitting, not the work.

The market for art that falls between decor and Fine Art is remarkably narrow these days. That is to say, work that we the public think of as Art: creative work that inspires, enriches, provokes, reveals, and so on, and which does so on its own merits, is pretty much a non-entity. It's all pretty much technically brilliant and emotionally dead decor, or pictures of poo with a paragraph about playing with the dialectics of space attached.

Here's a fun game:

Go find a popular and successful contemporary landscape photographer. Go find a portfolio of work. You will find that virtually all of it has a color palette made up either of 1 very narrow swathe of colors, or 2 very narrow and complementary swathes of color. These things are shot to match the couch, and that's why people buy 'em.

The majority of Fine Art photographers are shooting insanely repetitive and boring portfolios around a single not very good idea, and then supplying a raft of text to prop it up and explain why it's important and good. Usually they're shooting with crazy expensive gear and making gigantic prints, to further obscure the fact that they haven't actually got any ideas.

Both of these schools are giving technically excellent photography a bad name. They make me itch. They make me want to drill light leaks in all my cameras and spin the focus ring at random before every shot."


I risk the same criticism re. Coke, but in my case, it's all I can think of doing at the moment that doesn't cost me a bean.

That, of itself, gives me a certain miserable gratification! Trouble is, if I can't get my head around something else, it'll mean I have to start carting a tripod around: too much chance involved in getting anything close in focus when hand-held as wide open as available camera ISO allows, ETR notwithstanding. And when hand-held stretches to actually holding the subject in one hand too, the problem magnifies!

If I was a US citizen, I'd seek a shrink. Okay, if I was a wealthy US citizen. As I still await three hospital dates that were scheduled for September, there's not much mileage in seeking one here, I don't expect. That would require three different disciplines to interact properly.

I think I'll just stick with the bottle.

;-)

Rob C

P.S. I actually love her work, but that isn't really the point.

Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: petermfiore on November 22, 2013, 07:49:47 am
Some lovely non-representational work here: http://artpresence.ca/

Mike.

Hi Mike,
I wouldn't call her work non-representational but rather realistic representations of the sea. The sea moves and hence "alive". She, in a single image, captures all the movement, breathing and life of the sea. To my mind Louise's work is more real than the frozen still many others strive for in their capture.


Peter
Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on November 22, 2013, 03:04:33 pm
I find them quite pleasant, if not profound. So I think you belittle her unnecessarily by omitting the "I" in her name.  ;)
Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: Rob C on November 22, 2013, 03:26:29 pm
I find them quite pleasant, if not profound. So I think you belittle her unnecessarily by omitting the "I" in her name.  ;)



Philosophical moment: can a chick be a one-trick pony?

Rob C
Title: Re: Louise Quinby
Post by: wolfnowl on November 24, 2013, 02:09:08 am
I find them quite pleasant, if not profound. So I think you belittle her unnecessarily by omitting the "I" in her name.  ;)


Oops. :-[

Thanks for the heads up!  Never said I could type.

Mike.
Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: Rocco Penny on November 24, 2013, 08:30:43 am
Mike, I feel obliged to quote Andrew from another thread:

"Fine Art is barely about the work at all these days, regardless of medium. Quite explicitly. It's about process and narrative surrounding the work as much or more than the work itself.

That is to say, it's explicitly and openly about the bullshitting, not the work.

The market for art that falls between decor and Fine Art is remarkably narrow these days. That is to say, work that we the public think of as Art: creative work that inspires, enriches, provokes, reveals, and so on, and which does so on its own merits, is pretty much a non-entity. It's all pretty much technically brilliant and emotionally dead decor, or pictures of poo with a paragraph about playing with the dialectics of space attached.

Here's a fun game:

Go find a popular and successful contemporary landscape photographer. Go find a portfolio of work. You will find that virtually all of it has a color palette made up either of 1 very narrow swathe of colors, or 2 very narrow and complementary swathes of color. These things are shot to match the couch, and that's why people buy 'em.

The majority of Fine Art photographers are shooting insanely repetitive and boring portfolios around a single not very good idea, and then supplying a raft of text to prop it up and explain why it's important and good. Usually they're shooting with crazy expensive gear and making gigantic prints, to further obscure the fact that they haven't actually got any ideas.

Both of these schools are giving technically excellent photography a bad name. They make me itch. They make me want to drill light leaks in all my cameras and spin the focus ring at random before every shot."


I risk the same criticism re. Coke, but in my case, it's all I can think of doing at the moment that doesn't cost me a bean.

That, of itself, gives me a certain miserable gratification! Trouble is, if I can't get my head around something else, it'll mean I have to start carting a tripod around: too much chance involved in getting anything close in focus when hand-held as wide open as available camera ISO allows, ETR notwithstanding. And when hand-held stretches to actually holding the subject in one hand too, the problem magnifies!

If I was a US citizen, I'd seek a shrink. Okay, if I was a wealthy US citizen. As I still await three hospital dates that were scheduled for September, there's not much mileage in seeking one here, I don't expect. That would require three different disciplines to interact properly.

I think I'll just stick with the bottle.

;-)

Rob C

P.S. I actually love her work, but that isn't really the point.



I'm not too sure why this has me laughing.
Jeebs I'm glad I took the time to read this.
My Daughter once looked at me Rob,
put her finger to my lips like for me to hush.
She was two.
You need my Daughter's finger.
I'm still laughing...
goddam you are a delightful person...
Title: Re: Louise Quinby
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on November 24, 2013, 12:45:02 pm
Oops. :-[

Thanks for the heads up!  Never said I could type.

Mike.
I'm happy to see that Louise has been properly deloused.
Title: Re: Louse Quinby
Post by: Rob C on November 24, 2013, 02:26:02 pm
I'm not too sure why this has me laughing.
Jeebs I'm glad I took the time to read this.
My Daughter once looked at me Rob,
put her finger to my lips like for me to hush.
She was two.
You need my Daughter's finger.
I'm still laughing...
goddam you are a delightful person...


I need the equivalent of your daughter's finger in many aspects of my life; my wife used to manage it with just a look and I never argued - she was always right. Yep, I said that.

Yesterday I was smugly celebrating a sense of new mental liberation; today, I think I offended - no, I did offend - a person that I really wish that I had not. Which means that in the next few days I have to apologize. I really didn't need this. And the thing is, there's nobody else remotely to blame. So 'delightful' might be a relative term at best! Oh well, I suppose we all end up tripping over our big clay feet.

;-)

Rob C
Title: Re: Louise Quinby
Post by: wolfnowl on November 25, 2013, 01:53:56 am
Here's one for you, Rob! http://petapixel.com/2012/03/20/why-this-photograph-is-worth-578500/

Mike.  ;)
Title: Re: Louise Quinby
Post by: Rob C on November 25, 2013, 04:44:41 am
Here's one for you, Rob! http://petapixel.com/2012/03/20/why-this-photograph-is-worth-578500/

Mike.  ;)


Fortunately, one doesn't have to believe all that one reads!

The argument isn't new, just misguided and but another attempt to justify the unjustifiable. Funny how the underlying, uncomfortable investment aspect was ignored...

But yes, sad news on a Monday morning. As sad as reading that there is no new Pirelli calendar, just a late issue of a Helmut Newton one from '86. There, it would be of interest to know why the thing wasn't put out at the time; was there a contractual problem? Did Newton breach the then morality of Pirelli? Did they feel disappointed in his output? Do they feel he's been dead long enough to have an added value now? Have they blown all their PR money on Formula 1? I'd love to know.

;-)

Rob C