Art Should Be Easy (Or Not)
Photography wants to be easy, and it is in fact, compared to other mediums. Through-composed orchestral works and large paintings can take six months to a year, yet thousands of photos can be taken with a smartphone in that period, and perhaps never be seen more than once. (Of course this can happen with a large painting in a gallery as well, with one glance, 10 seconds or less.)
I love to look at photos in exhibitions, and prefer it it that way. It makes photography look more rigorous and important for all involved. I like the fact that there were stages to get the photographs to be entities in themselves, as well as to place them in a series, and how that series is displayed in a larger context with other photos, and that a title had to be given (even if "Untitled") work prints may have been made, categorized and filed, and thought about later, perhaps decades later. What was a medium that was supposed to make something more easy, can be a more rigorous endeavor, but is becoming increasingly rare.
Photography should want to be difficult because we want things to be a challenge, and can be an activity that can take up a whole day, or days if preparing them for a show. It's nice that we can produce so many images, as that presents a challenge in itself.
I love to look at photos in exhibitions, and prefer it it that way. It makes photography look more rigorous and important for all involved. I like the fact that there were stages to get the photographs to be entities in themselves, as well as to place them in a series, and how that series is displayed in a larger context with other photos, and that a title had to be given (even if "Untitled") work prints may have been made, categorized and filed, and thought about later, perhaps decades later. What was a medium that was supposed to make something more easy, can be a more rigorous endeavor, but is becoming increasingly rare.
Photography should want to be difficult because we want things to be a challenge, and can be an activity that can take up a whole day, or days if preparing them for a show. It's nice that we can produce so many images, as that presents a challenge in itself.
