Comments on: The Body and The Wall http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/ photographica, miscellanea, etcetera Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:40:17 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Andrew Nicholas http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1936 Andrew Nicholas Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:38:33 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1936 Ventura/Wall comparison aside, thanks for posting that long quote from Jeff Wall. While it's a dense read (admittedly, I had to look up the word "polemic"), I found it to be rather interesting, though I am partial to the cultural theory lexicon. I got a chance to see the exhibit at NYC's MoMA this past spring and it was excellent. Great presentation. Ventura/Wall comparison aside, thanks for posting that long quote from Jeff Wall. While it’s a dense read (admittedly, I had to look up the word “polemic”), I found it to be rather interesting, though I am partial to the cultural theory lexicon. I got a chance to see the exhibit at NYC’s MoMA this past spring and it was excellent. Great presentation.

]]> By: War on Wall? at He Speaks Good Mandarin http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1935 War on Wall? at He Speaks Good Mandarin Mon, 02 Apr 2007 06:28:29 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1935 [...] Well, I don’t wanna be “another brick on the wall” among the recent buzz on NY Times piece of Jeff Wall. Through the navigation of an entry on Alec Soth’s blog, you find it everywhere. I’ll probably write something about Jeff Wall and his photographs after I get a chance to access his original works in person. But not now or any time soon. [...] [...] Well, I don’t wanna be “another brick on the wall” among the recent buzz on NY Times piece of Jeff Wall. Through the navigation of an entry on Alec Soth’s blog, you find it everywhere. I’ll probably write something about Jeff Wall and his photographs after I get a chance to access his original works in person. But not now or any time soon. [...]

]]> By: rob http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1934 rob Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:04:42 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1934 The NYTimes article has now disappeared behind pay per view. Shame on you, NYTimes. The NYTimes article has now disappeared behind pay per view. Shame on you, NYTimes.

]]> By: john k. http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1933 john k. Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:04:16 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1933 i found it interesting how he claimed not to be interested in the work of shore, when the truth seems to be he was very interested in the work but just didn't like it. he then goes on to say how difficult it was to work on the street, and that once you miss it, there's nothing you can do. in essence, wall seems to get his ideas the same way street photographers do, and then he cooks it up with details to bring it back equal with a good street photograph. it seems as though the self-conscious art-historical stuff is a bit superflous. then again, his base point that he was interested in pictures that you could go back to and back to over time is exactly what i love about street photography and not staged photography. is it all taste? i found it interesting how he claimed not to be interested in the work of shore, when the truth seems to be he was very interested in the work but just didn’t like it. he then goes on to say how difficult it was to work on the street, and that once you miss it, there’s nothing you can do. in essence, wall seems to get his ideas the same way street photographers do, and then he cooks it up with details to bring it back equal with a good street photograph. it seems as though the self-conscious art-historical stuff is a bit superflous. then again, his base point that he was interested in pictures that you could go back to and back to over time is exactly what i love about street photography and not staged photography. is it all taste?

]]> By: eric brittain http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1932 eric brittain Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:07:18 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1932 i saw jeff wall give a joint lecture shoulder to shoulder with stephen shore at the baltimore museum of arts. what a strange pairing. at points, wall seemed nearly condescending to shore. their postures and gestures when talking told the whole story. wall is so unerringly articulate and sophisticated, right down to way he sips his water. i saw jeff wall give a joint lecture shoulder to shoulder with stephen shore at the baltimore museum of arts. what a strange pairing. at points, wall seemed nearly condescending to shore. their postures and gestures when talking told the whole story. wall is so unerringly articulate and sophisticated, right down to way he sips his water.

]]> By: john k. http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1931 john k. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:48:34 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1931 "Well, if you mean in a general way, one could admit to all of those, depending on the individual picture." maybe it's better to ask is 'what' and not 'who' is the artist fighting for? or better still, is it an artists job to stand for something/anything? specific to the argument of the day, what does Wall's photography really stand for? “Well, if you mean in a general way, one could admit to all of those, depending on the individual picture.”

maybe it’s better to ask is ‘what’ and not ‘who’ is the artist fighting for? or better still, is it an artists job to stand for something/anything? specific to the argument of the day, what does Wall’s photography really stand for?

]]> By: zbs http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1930 zbs Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:46:15 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1930 "a core philosophical question about the medium: who is the picture mak[er] fighting for? and who against? is it possible to do neither?" Well, if you mean in a general way, one could admit to all of those, depending on the individual picture. And this question (maybe because it's at the core, then) easily brings us back to the part of that old intentional-fallacy point. —One is tempted to say that photographers are always fighting for themselves in the sense that by delimiting an image, a moment, or whatever, they're making a case for that particular instant rather than all the others. And that could lead to the other argument, about primitives and professionals. How can you know the battle of anonymous, snapshot ephemera? Is supplying it part of the experience, etc.? Is it always? “a core philosophical question about the medium: who is the picture mak[er] fighting for? and who against? is it possible to do neither?”

Well, if you mean in a general way, one could admit to all of those, depending on the individual picture.

And this question (maybe because it’s at the core, then) easily brings us back to the part of that old intentional-fallacy point. —One is tempted to say that photographers are always fighting for themselves in the sense that by delimiting an image, a moment, or whatever, they’re making a case for that particular instant rather than all the others. And that could lead to the other argument, about primitives and professionals. How can you know the battle of anonymous, snapshot ephemera? Is supplying it part of the experience, etc.? Is it always?

]]> By: john k. http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1929 john k. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:05:47 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1929 i meant 'picture MAKER', not 'picture MAKING' which i wrote... i meant ‘picture MAKER’, not ‘picture MAKING’ which i wrote…

]]> By: john k. http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1928 john k. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:04:45 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1928 zbs - nice quote and comment, but i think it's a little to serious and well-considered to garner notice with most (i hope to be proven embarrassingly wrong). but it does bring up a core philosophical question about the medium: who is the picture making fighting for? and who against? is it possible to do neither? "(not, sadly, on Wall himself)" sounds personal, i don't know much about him, but it is remarkable for a photographer to be on the cover of the NYT magazine. is Jeff Wall the new Ansel Adams? or is that Gregory Crewdson? zbs – nice quote and comment, but i think it’s a little to serious and well-considered to garner notice with most (i hope to be proven embarrassingly wrong). but it does bring up a core philosophical question about the medium: who is the picture making fighting for? and who against? is it possible to do neither?

“(not, sadly, on Wall himself)”

sounds personal, i don’t know much about him, but it is remarkable for a photographer to be on the cover of the NYT magazine. is Jeff Wall the new Ansel Adams? or is that Gregory Crewdson?

]]> By: zbs http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1927 zbs Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:25:12 +0000 http://alecsoth.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-body-and-the-wall/#comment-1927 This struck me as a generous but not misplaced sentiment on Wall's work (not, sadly, on Wall himself): Schjeldahl: "I don’t care. I’ve ceased to buy whatever is being sold by the picture’s maker, who seems to be engaged in special pleading as much for his right to manipulate me as for the cause of displaced Indians." This struck me as a generous but not misplaced sentiment on Wall’s work (not, sadly, on Wall himself):

Schjeldahl: “I don’t care. I’ve ceased to buy whatever is being sold by the picture’s maker, who seems to be engaged in special pleading as much for his right to manipulate me as for the cause of displaced Indians.”

]]>