THIS Is Art

[gstark]

Well, maybe.

As you know, there has been some interesting and vigorous discussion about an image or two, and what constitutes art, and whether or not the photographer should be considered, etc etc.

In those discussions, there was a suggestion that perhaps we should run a few images anonymously, and see where that takes us. With that in mind, I've canvassed some of our members, sworn them to secrecy (sorry if you weren't included) and solicited three images that I'm posting below, for all of you to look at, evaluate, and discuss.

Image 1: Farewell.




Image 2: Still Life




Image 3: JAG




So, there you have it: three very different images, posted anonymously.

Critique away.

Discuss art, and please be brutal, if that's how you feel.

[chrisk]

#1: a beautiful photograph. Genuine emotion. Fantastic body language. Love the black and white which highlights her emotional face and the embracing position of her arms.

#2: has no redeeming features I can see.

#3: I like it. I like the geometric shapes. The triangles and squares. I like the angles, the contrasty light and the splash of the red sign. It's a nice shot but I think it's missing something to make it special.

[phillipb]

#1 Good candid portrait, lighting is not the best, I would prefer a bit more separation from the background.
#2 Nothing much going for it very distracting shadows / reflections on the wall.
#3 Has potential, I first thought this must have been Matt's but then I realised that it wasn't really tilting, it was just the street sign that was crooked.

[Remorhaz]

#1 nice photograph, emotional, not entirely sure of the processing - looks perhaps a little too "silver" for me which I don't think suits the emotion displayed (because it's light and airy and not sad and raw?)

#2 not my cup of tea - boring for me

#3 it's ok and somewhat interesting - I'm assuming the ray of light was added in post and it looks a bit too contrived for me - but it was an interesting idea - then again I'm not really into this type of photography per se - so it's probably a masterpiece and I just lost - or perhaps I should have said that for #2

[biggerry]

1) Reschsmooth
2) Mattk
3) hmmm tricky

1) emotional but lacks context
2) looks worse than my lounge room
3) need to spend more than 2 mins on teh PS side of things.

[biggerry]

and nope, no art for me

[Reschsmooth]

The first is interesting. The lighting is flat but the expression is one of sadness that is not reflected in the way the other person is hugging.

The second, which I reckon is Chris' (Sirch) shows some very nice chesterfields, and is also interesting, but I am not sure the elements of noise and the reflections add to it. Without the noise wood improve it, I think.

The third does little for me.

[the foto fanatic]

#1 - quite an emotional expression on the female, emphasised by the b&w treatment. Very satisfying to look at

#2 - didn't like it at first glance, mainly because of the artifact or reflection on the wall and the fact that the vase is not sharp. Looked again and got a bit more out of the vase, ornaments and (seemingly) empty chairs. Perhaps there is a story there.

#3 - it's the lighting, stupid! Real attention grabber.

[Aussie Dave]

Image 1.
I like the contrast between the people and the background...it really separates them from their surroundings and gives you no distractions (so your complete focus is on their embrace).
Thinking of the moment that was occuring during the photo, I can imagine the lady facing the camera is sad to see her friend go and she is staring off to the distance thinking of putting on the brave face....and her slight smile is her way of trying to convince herself that it'll all be OK.

That, or she could be happy her friend is leaving....

Image 2.
I'm not convinced the framing suits the image. Yes there seems to be two empty chairs but for me I would like to have preferred a wder view to see more of the chairs...to give more of an impression of an empty/unused space.

Image 3.
I really like the idea of the JAG logo being projected onto the wall. A clever idea that I think enhances what may otherwise be a less exciting image visually.

Great idea Gary, thanks for starting this post!

Dave

[ATJ]

1) Works for me as it tells a story and evokes emotions, The image is not perfect and I could make some suggestions on how to improve it - for example the dark shadow down the left. I would want to help improve the image (assuming my comments were good).

2 & 3) Neither do a thing for me and I doubt I would even bother commenting. No offense intended to the people that shared them.

[sirhc55]

1: Not art

2: Not art

3: Has potential

IMHO

As to the photographers, don’t know and don’t care in this analysis

[Matt. K]

#1...This image would look great if it was printed very very large and exhibited appropriately. It has quite a bit of power. The left arm of the female whos back we see bothers me and I would have photoshopped it out. I wonder if the image would have been better with a little grain or noise added. It is an intriguing image and makes me wonder what the story was. Full marks to the photographer for getting this one...unless, of course, it was a contrived setup.In that case the photographer could have done a little better.

#2...At first this one left me cold, but then, for some weird reason, it began to grow on me. The more I look at it the more I like it but don't ask me why. There's something comfortable and homely about it. It looks like a place that someone spends quite time at. I think I could live with this image on my wall. It has a gentle grace and some wonderful negative shapes.

#3...This one looks like a Big Gerry image to me. It grabs the eye and I think the composition and subject matter work very well. I would like to see the processing fine tuned as I think the JAG sign needs to be darked down a tad and made a little more contrasty. Someone mentioned that they thought the lighting was photoshopped in, and I tend to agree....but on the other hand, why then would the photographer have taken the picture in the first place? It would have looked quite boring. A human figure in this image would have improved it, I think.

Are these images art? Perhaps if Annie Liebovitz had taken the first picture, then yes. If David Hockney had taken the second image, then yes. If Joel Meyerowizt had taken the last image, then probably. It's all about context. I think any of these images could be hung in a gallery if exhibited appropriately within the context of a themed display. But then again, so could almost any image that has been posted on this forum by the scores of wonderful photographers who love the art and practice of photography. Most of you are much, much better at this art form then you give yourselves credit for. Keep trappin those photons!

[surenj]

#1 Sirc55
#2 MattK
#3 Remorhaz

#1 A severe crop would still keep the same emotive response but reduce the distracting arms...Obviously the winner in this set
#2 Too flat and uninspiring picture. The vase may well world class art but I wouldn't know.
#3 Not strong enough on it's own but could be used as part of a story. Nice light and clever use of various elements but they don't bond together cohesively to make it work.

None of it's art or ART or aRt....

[sirhc55]

#1 Sirc55

Thank God, I thought you had me down for this pic but it’s not me

I will have to speak to the admin about someone using Sirc55 which is too close to my sirhc55

[surenj]

Chris, I can't be absolutely sure because the EXIF has been stripped from #1.

[gstark]

Yes, I made sure that the EXIF was stripped before posting.

Full marks to the photographer for getting this one...unless, of course, it was a contrived setup.In that case the photographer could have done a little better.

Interesting observation, Matt.

What if I said that this image was actually a set up, with paid actors posing for it?

Are these images art? Perhaps if Annie Liebovitz had taken the first picture, then yes.

#1 Sirc55

Ok, I'll state that this image was not made by Chris.

But Matt has touched upon a point that was discussed within the context of Gerry's original thread, but we're barely scratching through here: what context does the knowledge of the photographer that we hold have upon the bearing of these images?

[zafra52]

Number 1, I believe it's quite artistic and dramatic the lack of contest
forces us to concentrate in the only face we can see that
tell us of mixed emotions according to each interpretation.

Number 2, doesn't work for me. I still prefer the trolley.

Number 3, Interesting, but the red sign competes with the JAG sign
nevertheless I like the combination of elements. It can be
used in an ad.

Are they art? Well, the old saying comes to mind " what is rubbish
for some is treasure for others". Four lines in a white Belgian canvas
2m X 2m hardly qualifies art "art" in my book, but the tag $20.000
and the sticker "SOLD" spoke volumes against my "book".