Photography as an Art

Photography as an Art

Article by Jennifer Burns

Photography as an Art -- Education

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Modern critics have developed a number of strategies in order to distinguish art photography from non-art one.
Nowadays, the distinction between fine art photography and documentary photography is fixed despite marginal works that are hard to be place to one or another category. Yet the contribution of photography to the western culture is the subject of loud debates. The main criterion they distinguish is subjectivity of the art photography. In this case, photographer expresses his own vision and puts it in the picture. Clive Bell, an art critic names the form as the main component, which distinguishes the art objects. “: “There must be some one quality without which a work of art cannot exist; possessing which, in the least degree, no work is altogether worthless. What is this quality? What quality is shared by all objects that provoke our aesthetic emotions? … Only one answer seems possible -- significant form. “(Jenkins)

Logic and rationality became dominant components in Western culture. Love to written words and rational thinking distinguished the face of western culture for a long time. Visual art, represented by the art photography has brought new shades to this culture as it gave new ideas for “visual thinking”. Counting only on the rational constitutes of the art western people missed the comprehension through other senses. Abstract concepts prevailed in this culture for many centuries. Visual art, which existed before photography, couldn’t change the equilibrium and switch attention to visionary art. This situation has changed with the development of art photography. Photography has brought dynamic aspect to the western culture. It managed to bring motion to art.

Like Arnheim states, “photography asserts that the world of sensory experience is not made up of things, but of dynamic force. The key to expression in visual art is the rendering of dynamic forces in fixed images. Expression is the manifestation of life, and life is what art is all about”.

Photography had great influence on all western culture in general, but especially strong influence it had on painting, sculpture and some other kinds of visionary art. The painting depends on the materials it was created from. Photography is formally created from the objects of the environment. It has to go through the filter of the photographer and thus become an art, but still the difference is fundamental. Photography gave new understanding of visionary realism, opened new perspective of modernism and impressionism. Described as a mechanical reproduction act in the beginning, it became a separate part of art and an important component of western culture, which influenced its other components.

Despite the fact that photography has entered our culture quite a few centuries ago, scholars still argue about the specific guidelines that could be used to distinguish non-art photography from a genuine masterpiece. Noteworthy, a similar pattern exists in every other “automated” art. In my view, photography has evolved to become an art. Striving to depict reality as much as possible, photography now intends to reveal the inner conflict, underlying emotions and tones.

About the Author

Jennifer Burns is a professional freelance academic writer at Custom-Writing.org, custom writing and editing. Jennifer specializes in writing all types of academic reports and critique papers.

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Jennifer Burns

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