Understanding of Fine Art - Essay Example

My Understanding of Fine Art In todays world, the borderline between true visual art and commonness is very thin or sometimes even almost invisible. Perhaps, this is so because every person has his / her own understanding of what art is and what it means. In fact, a piece of art that seems perfect for one person, may appear to be appalling or at least incomprehensible for another. Still, there are unwritten rules which define what art is, and they are established by artist and critics. Even though they are “lex non scripta”, the most important and obvious of them are possible to define. For me personally, visual art is the form of art that is able to catch ones attention at once, hold it for a significant amount of time, have a specific message or idea in it, transform seemingly simple and obvious things into something unique and even strange, reveal new shades of common things, be one of a kind in terms of meaning and technique. Photography is a very specific and democratic kind of art. This is really so because while not everyone can paint, make sculptures, play musical instruments etc. every person can take a photograph. Today, the process of taking photos has become both accessible and easy, and this is a double-edged weapon. On the one hand, it is good because it gives all those creative people an opportunity to express themselves without being preoccupied with learning how to paint, play the piano or act out. In other words, photography allows to give vent to ones thoughts and feelings without any strain. On the other hand, today every other person who has a camera believes he / she is a great artist. They take photos of everyone and everything, upload them on the Internet claiming this is the art. Therefore, such an ease of taking photos can make people think that photography is not actually an art. However, this is not true at all because photography does have a range of attributes which put it within the ambit of fine art. First of all, a true fine art photograph always implies a particular idea or feeling. As Graham Clarke cites Alfred Stieglitz, “photography has its own possibilities of expression, as it sought to record a feeling for life” (169). As far as I understand it, the “feeling for life” is the actual idea or the message of a photograph. If a photo has a feeling for life and the viewer is able to perceive and comprehend it properly, then this particular photograph can be regarded as a true fine art photograph. Secondly, a fine art photograph can reveal completely new characteristics of a seemingly well-known and even trite things. A true artist does not record a dull reality but transforms “an obvious, even ordinary, subject into something strange and unique” and makes “the most subtle images from the most basic of reference points” (Clarke 173, 185). It is really difficult not to agree with the author on this point. I also believe that presentation of common things in a completely new light is what defines a fine art photography as well for it is quite a task to show a common thing from in a way no one can even expect. This photo by Ansel Adams can serve as an example. Personally I have never even noticed that old trees can be so beautiful, and Adams has revealed it to me through his art. The next attribute of photography that puts places it in the domain of fine art is the artists choice. The first choice an artist makes is on the level of ideas as he or she has to choose one idea among several others. Then, with the aim to render the chose idea a photographer makes other choices, such as how to place objects, choice of film, saturation, size, and a wide range of other things. In this context, choice equals intentionality. Even though an artist sometimes takes photo on the spot, he or she still has some intention, for example, to show people as they are at that very moment. Among the above-mentioned, one of the most important things is technique. It deals not only with the placement of elements, choices of light, film and many other things but also with manipulation with an image, for instance, making a photo look torn or faded. If these manipulations are executed properly, it means that a photographer does possess technical excellence. Therefore, it is not only creativity and uniqueness that constitute a fine art photograph but technique as well. In fact, this fits Clarkes definition of photograph as a “technical brilliance informed by a creative spirit” (172). I believe that this photo by Brian McKee is what actually Clarke’s definition is about. For me, it is a photo of ghost buildings for now they are dead and not occupied but still existing and bearing meaning for at least some people, and it is technique of the photographer that helps understand it. The photo by Peter Gasser titled “Varanasi” (2008) can help exemplify everything what has been mentioned above. First of all, it is the idea. The artist shows how both natural and artificial beauty of the place combine with ruins and poverty. In this way, he actually reveals the way of life people live in India. Secondly, Gasser shows the temple not in all its beauty but rather in all the poverty it is surrounded by. He also shows that people got used to the fact that they live next to such an amazing building and take it as a common thing. In other words, in Gassers photo, beauty transforms into commonness. In fact, it is the photographers choice of the frame of reference, placement of elements and perspective which make the photograph so unique. Overall, the photo by Gasser appears to be one of a kind; it is actually able to catch and hold attention for a quite a long time, and this is why personally for me “Varanasi” by Peter Gasser seems to be a fine art photograph. Photography is such a specific art that sometimes it is quite a task to tell the difference between what is and what is not a real masterpiece for the accessibility and ease of taking photos make this art a real victim of neglectful amateurs. However, there are characteristic features of photography which allow placing it in the domain of fine art. In short, true art photography is unique and one of a kind; it shows common things from new perspectives and reveals their unusual or invisible features; it also has a deep and profound message or idea in it, which means there is also an intention in it; finally, fine art photograph is characterized by technical brilliance. Work Cited: Clarke, Graham. The Photograph: A Visual and Cultural History. Oxford University Press, 1997. 167-185. Print. Read More