art speak

[Haigh]

I read an interview with Bruce Davidson and that was pretty clear. In a rather more brusque manner, David Bailey is straightforward. It can be done. I have the book " Crisis of the Real" by Andy Grundberg. It is essays on photography and mostly nice, clear and concise reading. However, I have read some post modern writing on art and I question whether some of it has any meaning at all.

[Sparrow]

I agree about David Bailey, and both he and Patrick Lichfield are refreshingly honest about their art, talent and the publics reaction to it

[henry fool]

Art Speak, Lawyer Speak, Mechanic Speak, most professions have a language that pertains to it's requirements, a lot of people are alienated by Art. I studied fine art for 5 years and I can talk about it, but I'm lost listening to a Financier for example, most Artists are perfectly capable of discussing what they do in lay mans language but on a professional or peer to peer level of course they're going to use whatever terminology is appropriate.

Also, remember that Photographers aren't artists, but some Artist's are photographers.

[auldbob]

Regarding the 'artist as a photographer', perhaps we could learn from Andreas Gursky. A quote from the 'Lot Notes' of a Christies Cataloge http://christies.com/LotFinder/lot_d...jectId=5408908 is a superb example of 'ArtSpeak'. The fact that this photograph from a living photographer sold for in excess of $1,500,000 suggests that it may be a language worth learning!

[Jamie123]

Some artists and photographer's work is pretty straight forward and so they can explain it in a more straight forward fashion while other's work is more academic so their explanation of it is also academic. I think it's wrong to assume that everyone makes the same kind of art and some are just better at explaining it in plain terms than others. The way people talk about their art has a lot to do with the nature of their art. Of course there are those who try to express boringly trivial thoughts in 'art speak' in order to add signification to it but they're not really fooling anyone.

[FrankS]

This thread was going so well.

[SciAggie]

Originally Posted by FrankS

This thread was going so well.

+1. (This is just to make my answer long enough)

[f16sunshine]

Originally Posted by FrankS

This thread was going so well.

My apologies. I should have left it alone. Fred is right.

Please continue...

[FrankS]

One of the positive pursuits in life is to confront ones issues and prejudices and deal with them. Art speak has been one of these for me. I think that as I listen to more of it, with my new-found knowledge and awareness thanks to this thread, I will be better able to come to terms with it.

[sonofdanang]

Originally Posted by FrankS

One of the positive pursuits in life is to confront ones issues and prejudices and deal with them. Art speak has been one of these for me. I think that as I listen to more of it, with my new-found knowledge and awareness thanks to this thread, I will be better able to come to terms with it.

Frank,
A great read is Gombrich's The Story Of Art. Lots in there in a very informative read that sheds a lot of light on the lingua franca.

Also, by the same author is Art and Illusion. He's a very good educator, in my opinion.

Neither of these books are about photographs, per se (the second one references some), but they are most definitely about visual imagery and how we've interacted with it over the ages.

Enjoy.

Shane

[FrankS]

Thanks Shane. Are either of these books available online?

[sonofdanang]

Hmm.. Not as e-books I don't think, but others may know better. I carry one or both of them with me on the road - I've owned a few copies of both. The last time I think I got them through Powell's or Amazon. Delivered to my door in three days.

[sonofdanang]

Originally Posted by FrankS

Thanks Shane. Are either of these books available online?

Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Illusion-H...sr=1-3-catcorr

and,

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Art-Pock...5393034&sr=1-1


There is an e-book version (kindle) of A Little History of the World by Gombrich. It's a precis of the world, written for children, dated, but still very insightful and rather charming.
Metta,

Shane

[Sparrow]

Personally I think it's important to differentiate between that which it the artists explanation and that which is the artists commercial agents' justification.

[KenR]

IMHO doctor-speak or lawyer-speak etc. is technical jargon spoken between professionals and not to the general public. Art-speak is mumbo-jumbo spoken to the general public meant to impress the public with their own erudition (or lack of).

[henry fool]

But art speak IS the technical jargon of fine art, it's pretty much the same for literature or poetry or any of the professional arts. It's also subjective, you don't have to agree with anyones statements.

[Chuck Albertson]

Recently, someone in a course at the darkroom I use told me how she was eager to finish Basic Black&White, and move on to learning how to make "gelatin silver prints." She was holding a wet b&w print in a tray while telling me this.

[Landshark]

Wow! I have lots of money, I'm gonna buy me some art.

I wonder what kind of deep meaning that big square white/black/mauve. canvas has?
It must be too deep for me to understand so it has to be worth lots of money.

I don't remember the artists name who sold these things but they're worth a princely sum for a monotone canvas. Tell me it's not merchandising.