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| Photo: © Vivian Maier |
Waiting to see the new Buster Keaton doc, I chanced upon Vivian Maier: The Color Work at a local book store, expecting to see the usual hodgepodge collection capitalizing on a name. Boy, did I ever get that wrong. If anything, this book proves Maier's outright expanse of photographic genius- she was not only a superbly accomplished B&W photographer, she also had the refined chops and natural instinct to understand and successfully navigate the world of color whenever she so chose! These are not the results of occasional, haphazard experiments, they are proof positive of a firm grasp and mastery of the medium(s): square, monochromatic, or... otherwise. Those who'd continue to pooh-pooh this woman as some kind of idiot savant, second rate artist, only reveal the limits and inadequacies of their own prejudice.
Photography is the easiest art, which perhaps makes it the hardest. - Lisette Model.
Why do you have to be so nasty to people who don't see it?
ReplyDeleteReally? How did I demean them? What names did I call them? We can all agree to disagree- and I'm certainly no stranger to being the odd man out.
ReplyDeleteWhat I very much called out were those who purposely demeaned her work as if she were somehow unclean and unworthy of serious photographic consideration. And then there are those who insist that it's her background story that's responsible for all the acclaim and attention- not her work... as if being a nanny gave her some kind of artistic heads up in the art world for Chrissakes! Now, that's... "nasty."
I cannot make out whether you are copping to name-calling or not, to be honest.
DeleteTo be honest, if this (of all possible constructive avenues of discussion available) is the direction you want to pursue- then first make clear the personal vindictiveness you find me so grievously guilty of...
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize I had to, but let me quote your own article: '... only reveal the limits and inadequacies of their own prejudice' which is, as I read it, a direct accusation of prejudice.
DeleteI read this as saying, essentially, that people who disagree with you in this point are idiots.
I pretty clearly stated, "Those who'd continue to pooh-pooh this woman as some kind of idiot savant, second rate artist, only reveal the limits and inadequacies of their own prejudice." And that is substantially different from your perversion of "people who disagree (with me) in this point are idiots."
ReplyDeleteThere were, and presumably still are, people who belittle Maier because she doesn't somehow have the proper pedigree, the required photographic provenance to be an artist in good standing. She is not worthy. And don't expect me to explain that viewpoint, because I sure as hell can't. People who discredit her considerable achievements by claiming her fame is solely due to her origin story. And finally, people who actually claim that she merely adequately copied the work of more famous photographers- photographers she often predated.
Now, I don't know if any of the above constitute "idiots," I tend to think not (although, I suppose, the argument could be made of the very last example). But they very much embrace the very definition of prejudicial.