fine art photograph
Ah yes, the debate has raged on for years over what is art and what is not. For many years photography was not considered an art form. Some people today still do not respect it as an art form. When photography was invented in 1839 by Louis Daguerre in Paris and separately by William Henry Fox Talbot in London, it was created as a tool for science. The main problem that was solved by the camera was how to render the natural world accurately and quickly without having to possess deep rendering skills. Well in 1890 Alfred Stieglitz set out to get photography accepted as an art form. I have spoken about this before in ‘We Will Always Have Paris‘ and ‘The Photography of Edward Steichen‘. For those of you who we absent that day or busy on Facebook or texting, a quick review. So photography was a very scientific, utilitarian thing until Stieglitz came along. He set out with a group of like minded people to get photography accepted as an art from. This was the Photo Secession and they utilized the style of Pictorialism. Well they were successful and photography was seen as art. But what is art?
Art in the terms of the classical arts or the creative arts is often seen as embodied by the creation of work by a human that is deemed creative. So an artist is someone who produces art? Well yes and no. There are a few ways to think about this. What most people see as an artist is someone engaged in creative activities that lead to pieces of artwork. But I would like you to expand that definition. Would you not say that there is an art to sports or running a prosperous business. I would argue that what Steve Jobs at Apple does is creating art. The way that LeBron James shots a jump shot is art. A great entrepreneur is an artist. So someone does not have to produce a physical thing that will hang in a museum to be considered an artist. I don’t even think that a classical artist has to produce artwork. To me being an artist is a state of mind and a way of seeing the world. What all ‘artists’ have in common is creativity and the intent to produce art, something that will effect other people, something that will move people, or aid people, or add to the world aesthetic. Everyone has some art in them. Everyone has done artistic things. So don’t keep your definition small. See the art and the beauty inherent in the world.
Seth Godin has a great definition of art. He says, “My definition of art contains three elements:
1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording… but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.
By my definition, most art has nothing to do with oil paint or marble. Art is what we’re doing when we do our best work.”
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
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