Art and Photography

Looking at Aaron Scharf's "Art and Photography"  the other day I thought. Is that it? It seems to me that the influence of photography on art is insignificant. The influence is all the other way. Writing about the Durieu photos which Delacroix owned is just a footnote to art history.  As Sickert wisely said.The only artists who should use photographs are those who have no need of them. In other words use photographs as an aide-memoire if you wish. 

A Poor Sense of Colour

There is something distinctly old fashioned about much  landscape photography in Britain-especially that of the amateur with more equipment than he can manage. Photographers oftene seem to be lacking in any modern sense of colour. So much of what they produce relates more to a  landscapist such as J C Dahl than to Monet or Seurat.  There is considerable gloom along with occasional flashes of something more lurid. 

One of the problems is HDR. I'm not sure that it lives up to its name in providing a High Dynamic Range. I have rarely seen an HDR  colour image which wasn't weirdly lurid. Maybe Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh should be patrolled so that anyone carrying a tripod can be turned away .

The situation is made worse by the camera magazines which serve the  male concern for technical matters and a hierarchy of cameras which fit into grades such as "prosumer" (sickening isn't it ?), professional or amateur. Beginners, perhaps lacking confidence go on to repeat the latest cliches of the genre. Art students are no different and many of them never grow out of it. I am sick of  photographs which show a misty milky sea floating round some rocks. There is often a pinky/blue sky to confirm that the neophyte got up at dawn. Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh should be patrolled and anyone carrying a tripod should be turned away. As Degas might have said, "Landscape photography is not a sport". Never underestimate the herd instinct.

And another thing....that ridiculous remark to the effect that, "From today painting is dead". I could replace it with a question. There are times when I am tempted to ask,"When will photography come to life?"