[diiq]

What bothers me is not that he claims that what he has done is art --- it is. What frightens me is that he claims photography is not art.

Photos are not 'mere reproductions of reality' any more than his painting is. Paint, print, screen, clay, plaster -- these are not reality; they do not have the fidelity of the real world. When I paint, I must decide to what degree the intensity of light is important, to what degree the detail is important, to what degree the tonal range is relevant to my portrayal. Even more importantly, choosing which part of reality to examine is vital! Can a photographer pay no attention to aperture, shutter speed, composition, crop, focus? Can they ignore the possibilities of manipulating the world before photographing it (arranging, building, lighting, removing components until their "metaphysical value judgment" is satisfied? Sure, they can ignore all that. A camera with a timer can make an exposure, no metaphysical presence necessary. But no artist must do so. And even leaving things up to the camera is a "metaphysical value judgment."

You didn't make art. You used tools to apply pigment to a surface replicating a temporary sensory input; a purely mechanical recording of reality.

[jamesbritt]

"What bothers me is not that he claims that what he has done is art --- it is. "

Well, perhaps, but it's border-line kitsch.

"What frightens me is that he claims photography is not art."

Lots of people think that way. Often they prefer kitsch and schlock.

Technical skill for it's own sake is pretty worthless. It's impressive, to a degree, but what matters is to what it is applied.

It's the difference between being able to recite the whole of On Lisp from memory and being able to write innovative software.

[diiq]

"Well, perhaps, but it's border-line kitsch."

Bah. I'm not making aesthetic judgments --- I don't care if it's good or not. I do care that he is willing to deny an entire medium the ability to change the way I think, feel, and sense the world.

We live in a time when people think that art is a frivolity; silly at best and a senseless waste at worst. That is not because people have become less intelligent or less capable of culture. It's because artists (a community I count myself within) are failing to communicate, to relate to the rest of humanity. Artists denying each other's work and medium of choice is a pretty vicious act of treachery against the mission of reminding the world that art is vital --- it is both a living field and a necessity of life.