Strip malls and power lines: I just don't get this stuff

[cyrus]

I was watching a Netflix movie about William Eggleston and I just don't get his stuff - and it appeared neither did he. Friedlander's city scapes elude me too. Perhaps there's something interesting there from a nostalgia POV - what did this street corner look like 80 years ago. Otherwise...ho hum. I mean, lets face it - most of America is damned boring. Strip malls and powerlines and intersections. Yes? OK? What's the point?

Nor do I understand the attraction to the photos by this fellow though I would have liked to go on the same trip.

[Norm Buchanan]

Well you would really like the current issue of Aperture, which has Martin Parr's Parking Spaces. I must admit, I can't imagine hanging a collection of parking stalls on my walls...

[davidb]

well, there are more than a few photographers who made photographs around Albuquerque, where I live.

I kept seeing one made by Friedlander. So I took my gear out, and tried to see what he saw.

Once I looked through the viewfinder, I kind of got it.

Check this.

[paulr]

What about Walker Evans? Or later Weston (his pictures of road signs, abandoned cars, etc.)?

[Capocheny]

Hi Cyrus,

I'm not so sure I understand these kinds of images either. There was a brief movie of a fellow who photographed back alleys shown on U-tube (?) back awhile ago. They talked about the juxtaposition of this and that on this and that to create this and that emotion/look. Unfortunately, the explanation sounded like mumbo-jumbo to me and didn't make didn't make much sense to me.

But, I suppose it's interesting to look at all the ancillary "stuff" in the image and try to visualize the activity that was going on at the scene the minute the shutter was tripped? Or, perhaps, it's meant to be nothing more than just a recording of a split-second of time at that location?

As they say, "art is in the eyes of the beholder...." and, in some cases, a few glasses of wine really helps brings things into perspective!

Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

[Henry Ambrose]

The photos are simply one version of what is there. The rest is art babble.

[David A. Goldfarb]

well, there are more than a few photographers who made photographs around Albuquerque, where I live.

I kept seeing one made by Friedlander. So I took my gear out, and tried to see what he saw.

Once I looked through the viewfinder, I kind of got it.

Check this.

I think part of what Friedlander is seeing there is the juxtaposition of the dog and the fire hydrant.

[davidb]

also...if you look closely, the building in the back is a restaurant called "The Dog House".

[Walter Calahan]

I think they are all brilliant.

They get us to talk and write about ideas, not just focal lengths and f/stops.

My opinion is that they capture life more realistically then the idealized world of Ansel Adams or Edward Weston. Adams and Weston are both masters at what they did, and their art is breathtaking. But to capture the true syncopation of life the way it is acted out on the street, Freidlander, Winogrand, and Eggleston are just as brilliant.

Looking at their work makes me see the world in a more heightened state awareness.

[Gordon Moat]

I suppose the same viewpoint could be applied towards viewing oh-so-many landscape images. Obviously, there are few images that might appeal to all viewers. When I find something a bit lacking in an image, I try to see if any formal approaches are apparent in the image (Golden Section, interesting relationship of focal points, etc.).

When I went to a Basquiat exhibit a couple years ago, my mom didn't really like his stuff. Then when I pointed out various aspects that showed the formal approach in paintings that appeared quite random, she understood why Basquiat's paintings appealed to some . . . even though she did not like them.

So to dismiss images can mean missing a learning opportunity. There is understanding and clarity in all images, even if they don't appeal to you directly. Figure out why others "get it", and you gain some insight. Then you might decide why you never want to try making similar images, or you might find another direction to explore.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography