Looking at my finished products ( photographs ) i have come to realize that although the subject matter is always something that i see in the reality that surrounds me( of course ), the subject is ultimately myself. Is this need to show continuosly my inner core to the viewer...... From this follows the question: what is the real aim for an artist?What is the purpose in art?
Paul Klee said, "The function of art is to inspire other artists."
The real aim for the (visual) artist is to make the best pictures (objects) you can, however one might define "best."
"To make the ordinary extraordinary."
Try to inspire as many people as you can. Artists are a small percentage of the population.
This might be overly simplistic, but I always thought an artist has only one real mission: to show others how he sees the world.
John Szarkowski divided photographs into two types, Mirrors and Windows. Mirrors are, as you say, works that say more about the photographer and his/her vision of the world. Windows supposedly show more of an "objective" view of the world. These are useful categories to debate, though ultimately we realize that all pictures have some aspect of the Mirror in them.
I agree with Kevin. My purpose in art is to show you my vision of the world.
I would add that an important component is the desire to communicate with someone outside myself. I feel that "artists" who create alone and never try to show or publish their work are missing some crucial aspect of the artmaking process. (Even if it is just showing your pictures or poems to your family.) Without that communication, it's not art, it's therapy.
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."
--- Dorothea Lange
i like what lisette model taught dianne arbus - that to make your work more general in nature would make it speak to the most people.
when i was younger, i thought i could control what a viewer saw when they looked at my images. i worked very hard to very precisely define what i was trying to convey with each photograph, but it was like the harder i worked at making the image more specific, the less effective the image was. then i realized that what people see when they look at your work is very alrgely dependent on what they bring with them - their personal experiences, thoughts and attitudes. so i worked on model's idea and started making my images more generalized while still containing the kernel of the idea i started with. i remember having a couple of images included in a major exhibition of 2D artworks at the portland art museum a few years ago where i was able to sort of sit nearby during the opening as people wandered through the exhibit and getting to listen to them react to works as they went by - i tried to pay attention to what they might say as they first looked at my work. to say the least, i was amazed at some of the comments i overheard. the two pieces i had in the exhibit were rather odd self-portraits in uncommon settings. some people reacted more to the setting of the picture than to the image per se - "what a wierd place.." "what is that thing?" etc. others reacted to the 'art' aspects, commenting about the print itself or the overall composition. a few people responded to the self-portrait concept wondering at my expression or my action "what is he doing?" or "how did he do that?" out of the hundreds of people who passed by my work, perhaps 3 or 4 made a comment that was in line with what i was actually trying to say with the image - that really opened my eyes. i think a lot of times, WE dont have any idea what a viewer will see in our work.
For many the real aim is to attract the best babes.
I believe the motivation of many artists is to try to reveal certain aspects of themselves and at the same time try to get the viewer to understand some aspect of the world in a new light.
I think that what seperates the artist from the craftsmen is the ability of his work to carry on a dialogue with the viewer through the work. It is not enough for the work to be pretty, or shocking or different just for the sake of being different. I have always found the most intriguing art is that which makes me ask questions of the work and of myself. A great work always seems to have a little something more to say or reveal every time I view it. This is true of any medium and genre.
To create a new world.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks