This morning I linked a photograph on twitter prefacing the link with “perfection.” Certainly many people would argue that this is not a perfect photograph, if such a thing even exists. What I felt was perfect about that particular photograph was the feeling it sparked in me. It is a simple, understated photograph, but the emotional response it creates in the viewer (at least in this viewer) is complex. I might even venture to say that the feeling is indescribable. To me this indescribable feeling is what art is all about, particularly purely visual art such as photography, painting, sculpture, etc. When we start to talk about literature and even film there are often some very concrete ideas that can be pinpointed and argued out without having to look outside the text itself. It is difficult to proclaim a particular interpretation of a photograph or a painting as more or less valid without referencing something outside the text (i.e. painting or photograph itself). Purely visual art forms are, to me, more about raw emotion or instinct rather than concrete ideas or thoughts. Certainly a photographer might have a particular message they wish to convey with a photograph, but the likelihood that their audience will glean that message from the photograph alone is slim. That is what I find beautiful about visual art forms like photography, they touch the viewer in a more visceral sense, they evoke feelings which turn into thoughts rather than thoughts which turn into feelings. What do you find compelling about photography?
