Art is not Truth
One of my favorite quotes about art comes from an interview
that Picasso gave in 1923. Translated
from the original Spanish. He said;
“We all know that Art
is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us
realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The
artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of
his lies.”
Although he was referring to painting, I think Picasso’s
statement is a perfect response to those who complain when any style of
photography is seen as failing to accurately record the” natural world”. I can think of no higher goal for my
photography than to convince others of the truthfulness of my lies.
Finding vs Searching
Wow start the counter on how many times I use that quote! It should be sufficient to stop here and let Picasso’s profound
reflection sink in - blog done for this week!!?
But as I considered more of his interview, I came across
another observation that may be of more practical importance for landscape
photographers, especially in our age of technology assisted capturing of light. It has to do with the difference between
searching and finding. He could again have
been referring to photography when he said;
“In my opinion to
search means nothing in painting. To find, is the thing. Nobody is interested
in following a man who, with his eyes fixed on the ground, spends his life
looking for the pocketbook that fortune should put in his path. The one who
finds something no matter what it might be, even if his intention were not to
search for it, at least arouses our curiosity, if not our admiration.”
Planning the Perfect Shot
Ok, no one more than I appreciates the wonders of modern
digital photography - HDR, astrophotography, focus stacking, motion blur and
much more. In numerous articles I have
celebrated all the ways that technology has broadened our ability to capture aspects
of the world to which conventional film photography has been largely blind.
We can use software such as The
Photographer’s Ephemeris to precisely predict where to stand to capture the
perfect sunrise or to place the Milky Way directly above the town hall
spire. I am constantly in awe of the ability
of photographers to glory in all of the magnificent beauty that careful
planning can accomplish, but, as Picasso suggested, I worry that all that diligent “searching” can
cause us to be closed to the “finding”.
Finding the Sunset
A few evenings ago, Susan called out to me about the beautiful
colors in the sunset sky. I hadn’t
planned to go out shooting, but my camera bag is always ready. I threw it into the car and took off without
any plan for my search. I first reached
the spectacular summer sunset color shining above the pastures of
Chesterfield. The colors were vibrant but
the foreground lacked a strong focus. Not knowing when the color would
disappear, I grabbed some quick images and then got back into the car to
looking for something interesting to put in front of the rapidly fading
color. Happily, just down the road, I
came across a lovely red barn. The
dramatic sky and the warm light shining on the barn made a great composition. My lack of a defined “search” opened me to “find”
this wonderful moment.
The Treasure Hunt
I enjoy the unpredictable treasure hunt that photography in
the natural world can be. Planning can
lead to great results, but there is nothing like not knowing what you are
looking for to open your eyes to a wealth of possibilities. I frequently head
out on a shoot with nothing more than a general direction in mind, but it is
amazing how often an open eye and the willingness to get lost can lead to
surprising images.
Sometimes it is a
dramatic angle or shade of light. Often
it comes from being ready for the sudden appearance of a majestic bird, horses
grazing along a pasture fence or just a flash of a combination of strong
foreground and background elements.
The "Plan" was to get to Peacham Vt for the Sunrise. In my rush, almost didn't stop for what turned out to be the best shot of the day. |
A couple of years
ago on a trip to Green River Vermont, I found a family cooling off under the
water fall. It wasn’t something I was
looking for but the image found its way both to my calendar and one for Vermont
Life.
Early this spring I dropped by Park Hill in Westmoreland New
Hampshire. The light was disappointing,
but I kept shooting as I wandered around this icon New England village. I knew that almost always something new and
interesting can be found and on this evening I explored reflections of the brightly
illuminated church spire in the village windows.
So many of my favorite images over the years have come from
a thoughtful lack of forethought and miraculous accidents. I think Picasso would
agree that a mastery of technique is essential, but don’t forget, while
self-consciously “searching” for images, keep your eyes open to “find” the
surprises that, especially in our remarkable New England, are always there to
discover.
Thanks to Scot
Borofsky and the Brattleboro Gallery Walk Archive
Jeff Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com
603-363-8338
Such amazing post always admirable . Like your post .
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