Posted by Craig Myers on October 2, 2015 at 12:39 PM
Thanks for sharing. Lots of thought-provoking commentary. In the end, though, the article seems more elitist ranting than honest criticism.
Posted by Nancy de Flon on October 2, 2015 at 12:50 PM
Quite aside from the photo -- which, given the unceasing quest for trendiness in contemporary wedding photography, is not all that unique -- I agree totally with the author about how the concept of "art" is being trivialized by the ubiquity of what passes for art these days. And the hyperbolic descriptions of the photo -- open the Yahoo home page anytime and you'll see that it thrives on valorizing the trivial and that the trivial and the tragic must jostle with each other on this and other Internet "news" pages. Let's dust off our books by Feininger, Adams, et al. and remind ourselves of what we really want to be about.
Posted by John Tobias on October 2, 2015 at 12:56 PM
Actually I think it is a very neat photo! You can read much into it. The golden sunrise: shows the future good for the couple, the stormy like clouds indicate there will be rough weather ahead for them. But, the small areas of clear blue sky indicate there is hope for the future.
I do think the critical comments are sophomoric at best. The photographer saw a potential image and used his skill to capture it.
Posted by Richard Wong on October 2, 2015 at 4:35 PM
That article seems very judgmental. One man's trite is another's cool photo. I personally think it's an incredible image. Certainly not the average wedding photo you see every day.
Posted by Igor Doncov on October 3, 2015 at 12:35 AM
Totally agree with the author. The image has no depth and appeals to the simpler mind. Like those velvet paintings you used to buy from vendors at Tijuana of Elvis or Christ praying in the Gethsemany Garden. If that sounds elitist then so be it. I believe that art is not in the eye of the beholder. There is a difference between good and bad.
While there are some statements in the linked post that make sense, I feel the author must've had a bad day. Personally, I think it's a nice image in that it portrays the dynamic between gentleness and turmoil which are both universal truths.
-- I agree totally with the author about how the concept of "art" is being trivialized by the ubiquity of what passes for art these days. And the hyperbolic descriptions of the photo -- open the Yahoo home page anytime and you'll see that it thrives on valorizing the trivial and that the trivial and the tragic must jostle with each other on this and other Internet "news" pages. Let's dust off our books by Feininger, Adams, et al. and remind ourselves of what we really want to be about.
This is very nicely stated. It is a statement that I heartily agree with. As we all know, there is an ongoing trend in the media to hyperventilate over the trivialities and the tragedies, because such action garners eyeballs and ad revenue. If you open any "news" website, the ads can take up 40% of the page and trivial BS such as the latest Kim Kardasian booty selfie, or the hot poop on the latest phone is just ridiculous. I am one of those who is in the "Just the facts, ma'am." camp. (/end rant)
The unfortunate result of all this is that society has become accustomed to the mundane and that makes it easy to be mentally lazy. Why look deeper into a photograph, painting or sculpture when it's so easy to say, "That's pretty"?
I leave the answer to that question as an exercise for the reader.
Discussion
6 repliesThere has been quite a lot of navel gazing going on, not only on NPN (e.g., see this or this) but elsewhere as well.
This linked article presents an acerbic viewpoint of a viral photo which somehwat focuses the gaze!
Thanks for sharing. Lots of thought-provoking commentary. In the end, though, the article seems more elitist ranting than honest criticism.
Quite aside from the photo -- which, given the unceasing quest for trendiness in contemporary wedding photography, is not all that unique -- I agree totally with the author about how the concept of "art" is being trivialized by the ubiquity of what passes for art these days. And the hyperbolic descriptions of the photo -- open the Yahoo home page anytime and you'll see that it thrives on valorizing the trivial and that the trivial and the tragic must jostle with each other on this and other Internet "news" pages. Let's dust off our books by Feininger, Adams, et al. and remind ourselves of what we really want to be about.
Actually I think it is a very neat photo! You can read much into it. The golden sunrise: shows the future good for the couple, the stormy like clouds indicate there will be rough weather ahead for them. But, the small areas of clear blue sky indicate there is hope for the future.
I do think the critical comments are sophomoric at best. The photographer saw a potential image and used his skill to capture it.
That article seems very judgmental. One man's trite is another's cool photo. I personally think it's an incredible image. Certainly not the average wedding photo you see every day.
Totally agree with the author. The image has no depth and appeals to the simpler mind. Like those velvet paintings you used to buy from vendors at Tijuana of Elvis or Christ praying in the Gethsemany Garden. If that sounds elitist then so be it. I believe that art is not in the eye of the beholder. There is a difference between good and bad.
While there are some statements in the linked post that make sense, I feel the author must've had a bad day. Personally, I think it's a nice image in that it portrays the dynamic between gentleness and turmoil which are both universal truths.
This is very nicely stated. It is a statement that I heartily agree with. As we all know, there is an ongoing trend in the media to hyperventilate over the trivialities and the tragedies, because such action garners eyeballs and ad revenue. If you open any "news" website, the ads can take up 40% of the page and trivial BS such as the latest Kim Kardasian booty selfie, or the hot poop on the latest phone is just ridiculous. I am one of those who is in the "Just the facts, ma'am." camp. (/end rant)
The unfortunate result of all this is that society has become accustomed to the mundane and that makes it easy to be mentally lazy. Why look deeper into a photograph, painting or sculpture when it's so easy to say, "That's pretty"?
I leave the answer to that question as an exercise for the reader.
--P