Judy: Re: Fine Art 1897 thru 1930

On Sunday, May 23, 2004, at 06:17 PM, Judy Seigel wrote

> John, that's what Steiglitz was making the big stink and crusade
> about, &
> what the pictorialists were explaining -- that photography is art.
> Even a
> lot of photographers didn't think so until well into the 20th century.

Judy,

I had the pleasure, in July of last year, to spend long quality hours
in the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe (which isn't too very far from
Abiquiu, by the way-- take the Long Island Ferry to its endpoint, then
head southwest for five days; you can't miss it ;~). The exhibit was
entitled "Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz: A Gift from The
Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation."

What was particularly fascinating about this exhibit was that
Stieglitz's photographs were hung next to O'Keeffe's works (which were
often the subjects of the photographs--along with Georgia herself, of
course). And sprinkled among the images were quotes of O'Keeffe as
apologetics (or polemics, on occasion) for the *art* of photography.

I was gratified, reading O'Keeffe's criteria and criticism of
photography as art. And I wondered (self-consciously) how much she was
influenced by her critical artistic eye. . . and how much by her
passion for Steiglitz.

(Did Picaso actually say, "I have discovered photography, now I can
die". . . ? Or is that just another cultural myth?)

Don't get me wrong-- I have no doubt, in my own phenomenological
epistemology (. . . Is there an echo in here? Is Kevin Morris *still*
out of his office?. . . Mark? . . . Katherine. . . ? Hello. . . ? . .
. anybody. . . ?) that photography is (or *can* be, like painting or
sculpture or poetry or quantum physics) art. I know by how I am moved,
emotionally, by some photographs I see.

--but that wasn't the original question, right?

Here's the link: http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/stieglitztour/index.html

Enjoy.

My best to all, and my gratitude,
John

__________________________
John Campbell
PhotoGecko Studios & Gallery
1413 South First Street
Austin, Tx 78704

(512) 797-9375

www.photogecko.com
Received on Sun May 23 20:21:55 2004