A Photographer Quote I Think Is Quite Timely

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Reading Origin’s blog I found the following quote to be quite pertinent to show another (if not opposite) perspective to my blog post “You Are Here (Part 1/5): The Ultimate Compliment“.

Some peopleâ€™s photography is an art. Not mine. Art is a dirty word in photography. All this fine art crap is killing it already.
- Helmut Newton

Normally I’ll like a quote because it reflects a simple truth. This quote offers up something a little more complex. After reading it I began to wonder when in Helmut’s career he stated this. It also got me thinking how artists seldom have control over what is considered art and what is not. Helmut Newton’s quote made me chuckle because I found it ironic. If ever there was a photographer whose work was art it was Helmut’s. Yet at some point in time he felt his work was not. The interpretation of art is clearly centered around perspective… perspective of the artist and clearly that of the viewer. “Art” a label that artists seem to have a love / hate relationship with. Depending where you are in your career you either strive for it or resist being associated with it.

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Posted by Jim on 06.05.2007 at 12:03 am
Tagged: Philosophy, Photography

jim

Great point Ernst. I like your perspective on this.
Ernst

I don't think that Art is a dirty word. It's a loaded word and there are surely many, many photographers out there considering themselves a fine artist (just visit photo.net) which are really not. They might be good craftsmen (and there is nothing wrong with that - journalism, documentary and commercial work all fall in this category and there is some great work out there), but not necessarily artists. But it's a fine line and takes some understanding to see the difference. There is a quote I read somewhere that describes what I mean:

"Art is like any other science. It requires comprehensive knowledge to understand it."

To me, this goes to the root of the problem. You don't understand photography art, just because you own a book by Ansel Adams and Cartier-Bresson.

Sorry, going on a rant again. But I think that is what Helmut Newton is complaining about: there is no real art in photography, because everyone is a photographer and an artist who can push a button (and now use the saturation level in Photoshop). Newton specifically puts a distance between him and "those people." I am not sure whether, as a conclusion of this, I would reject the term "art" in general as Newton does. I think that's the wrong consequence, but it does make a strong point.