As some of you know, I’m also a passionate minimalist photographer. But recently, in a conversation with a few people, the question arose whether photography is art at all. And what about minimalist photography?
Well, many people would argue that photography is not art. Jonathan Jones, a British art critic is one of them. He says: “Photography is not an art. It is a technology.” and “…My iPad can take panoramic views that are gorgeous to look at. Does that make me an artist? No, it just makes my tablet one hell of a device.”
Interesting perspective. I think to be able to answer the leading question, I should approach in the first step what art is for me.
A rough definition of art
Wikipedia defines art as „ a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.“
The Oxford English Dictionary defines art as “…the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
shades, lines and composition © Wouter and Canon under Fair Use
So art is a form of expression that can be appreciated by everyone. Whether it’s a painting, sculpture, photograph, dance, or any other type of art, it allows the artist to share their ideas and feelings with the world. It’s a way to communicate without using words, and it can be interpreted in many different ways.
Some people may see art as simply something that looks nice, while others may see it as a deep and meaningful expression of the human experience. However, there is no right or wrong way to interpret art. It’s up to the viewer to decide what they see in it.
And now back to photography. So according to this definition, all kinds of photographs are art, no matter the genre. But does that apply to my snapshot of yesterday’s lunch? Well, to any viewer who thinks my snapshot is art, it is – right?
Art is always a dialogue between the artist and the viewer.
Defining art is difficult. Maybe even impossible. For me, art is always a dialogue between the artist and the viewer. The artist sends something out into the world with his/her work and the viewer responds through his/her sensation (and I don’t mean any kind of interpretation etc. but the first, perceived sensation). From this point of view, photography is always art, even if it is „just“ a photo of my lunch.
There is a great quote by Oscar Wilde: “To define is to limit” – and with that, I would like to end my article for this week and let photography be what it is – namely the art of creating images by recording light.
What do you think? Is photography art for you?
About Exploring Aesthetics:
Sarah loves asking questions and exploring the things she engages with on a daily basis. Exploring aesthetics is her column which discusses art, design, and aesthetics to explore, inspire, and question the status quo.
