Personal artist's statement or mission statement?

[Barnackdriver]

This is a bit simplistic, but IMHO, there are two basic stances in photography: 1. "The world is a better artist than I am." 2. "I am a better artist than the world is." The first group simply tries to capture interesting images that occur naturally, or with little contrivance -- HCB, Winogrand, Erwitt, Capa, et al. The second group arranges things or manipulate things (including photo materials) to realize some personal vision. Some in this camp are Irving Penn, Mapplethorpe, Uelsman, Karsh et al. It's not that the first group DOESN'T have a personal vision. They look in the world for manifestations of that vision. The second group creates the manifestations of their personal vision. Are there photographers with a foot in each camp? Certainly -- lots of them, but I think you're basically in one or the other group. Your temperament has a lot to do with your choice. -- just my 2 pence

We'll said. I like this approach.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Peter Wijninga has nothing to contribute to this thread. He also advised on the intake of sufficient vitamins and fiber. Peter Wijninga also wishes all of you a most Happy Holiday Season.

And to you Peter and your family.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Every exhibit I have had I have had to write an artist statement. It's usually specific for the body or work I am showing.

 

[rwintle]

Many amateurs never understand the importance of this. They instead try to produce photos that have 'impact', that are beautiful as individual images, but the images lack depth because when you look at them together, you realize the creator of them really had nothing to say. Just a random collection of images.

I think you have just summarized my attempts at photography... a lesson to be learned here I think, so thank you for that.

I will now go and hide under a rock. 😉

 

[jwc57]

Thanks for this thread.

I've never written an artist's statement. I started several times, but was confused by the statements of others. Chris and RichC have confirmed what I felt was correct.

My confusion began with newer photographers. Their artist's statements were more mission statements similar to what I knew from the corporate world.

For example: I enjoy taking pictures and bring my unique eye to photography. I bring style to portraits.....

This is usually followed by: I specialize in family, maternity, infant, children, wedding, bridal, landscape, engagement, and event photography.

I'm not really exaggerating by much. They tend to list every branch of photography, plus their gear.

Here though, I find that maybe it should be more of a project statement. This thread has given me a lot to think about.

 

[daveleo]

In my "artistic" work (stop snickering), I don't have an artististic objectiive, but looking at the collection of my favorite stuff I can see a thread running through it all.
If I ever put that into words, I'd have to be honest and say that the description of my "vision" (in words) came after the fact.
For me, making pictures has been more a journey of self discovery, more than it being me "reaching out" with my artistic vision.

Then again, I expect never to have a gallery show - the walls of local cafes are my destiny (when I'm lucky).

 

[Sparrow]

Thanks for this thread.

I've never written an artist's statement. I started several times, but was confused by the statements of others. Chris and RichC have confirmed what I felt was correct.

My confusion began with newer photographers. Their artist's statements were more mission statements similar to what I knew from the corporate world.

For example: I enjoy taking pictures and bring my unique eye to photography. I bring style to portraits.....

This is usually followed by: I specialize in family, maternity, infant, children, wedding, bridal, landscape, engagement, and event photography.

I'm not really exaggerating by much. They tend to list every branch of photography, plus their gear.

Here though, I find that maybe it should be more of a project statement. This thread has given me a lot to think about.

... be sure to double-space it won't you? it gives so much gravitas to the text and alerts one to the import of your views

 

[airfrogusmc]

JWC, I think you should think about the work in specific terms and comment about things such as what the work means to you and how you fit into the work personally. I don't recall seeing many really good exhibits where there is even a mention of equipment unless it specialized.

 

[airfrogusmc]

It is not impossible. The difference between serious artists and dilettantes is that the artists have something to say and produce a consistent and focused body of work. They decide what they're going to do, then they do it. An artists statement is simply a written description of what they want to say and how they'll do it. A guideline, an outline, a plan.

Many amateurs never understand the importance of this. They instead try to produce photos that have 'impact', that are beautiful as individual images, but the images lack depth because when you look at them together, you realize the creator of them really had nothing to say. Just a random collection of images.

Yes many are looking to take the one great photograph. One great photograph no more makes you a great photographer than one great at bat will make a baseball player an MVP. Like you stated it's first stars with having something to say visually. I always think of bodies of work like pieces of a puzzle. With each piece supporting the large whole. I would never try to write an artist statement without first creating the work.

How would I ever know what the work means to me until after I have created it? I let the work take me where I need to go. It can be so infinitely difficult to create a body of work that relates somehow.

Then if you are going to have an exhibit you need to have the work in the proper scale, proper printing so they all have a visual consistency and then there's the flow of how the images leads visually from one to the other.

 

[hellomikmik]

...Serious photographic artists don’t go out and take shots of things that interest them at random. ...

Honestly, I think that some of them do exactly that, at least partially. And from time to time they stop, look at the photos and organize them into "projects".

- "What is a typical working day for a professional photographer?"
- "We get up in the morning and when we open the door, we have the opportunity to go straight, left or right. We choose a direction - on that day perhaps towards the sea, or on the other hand, into town - we go butterfly catching and make chance our ally. A photographer must have good eyes but also a solid pair of shoes because he walks a lot. ... For me, photography consist of trying to recount what I have seen and condense it into a split second. ..."

From interview with Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt (view magazine no 6), his work here: http://www.agencevu.com/photographers/photographer.php?id=83

 

[daveleo]

Isn't it presumptuous to say that a artist must put his vision into words before doing his/her work?
Or maybe I mean to ask, is it presumptuous to say that people who don't write down their mission statement are not artists?

Did van Gogh [or, . . . . or . . . . or . . . ] write down an artist's statement before they started a painting? Or did some art critic write it (in retrospect) for a book years after the artist died?

 

[airfrogusmc]

Isn't it presumptuous to say that a artist must put his vision into words before doing his/her work?
Or maybe I mean to ask, is it presumptuous to say that people who don't write down their mission statement are not artists?

Did van Gogh [or, . . . . or . . . . or . . . ] write down an artist's statement before they started a painting? Or did some art critic write it (in retrospect) for a book years after the artist died?

I can''t see how anyone could write an artists statement about work that doesn't exist.

 

[jwc57]

... be sure to double-space it won't you? it gives so much gravitas to the text and alerts one to the import of your views

I will thank you. Shooting different things, seemingly at random, has really been an exploration of me and tests that take me out of my comfort zone.

 

[michaelwj]

Isn't it presumptuous to say that a artist must put his vision into words before doing his/her work?
Or maybe I mean to ask, is it presumptuous to say that people who don't write down their mission statement are not artists?

Did van Gogh [or, . . . . or . . . . or . . . ] write down an artist's statement before they started a painting? Or did some art critic write it (in retrospect) for a book years after the artist died?

I don't think it needs to be literally in words, but you should have an idea at some point during the creation.
I don't know if van Gough wrote down an artists statement or not, but he would have had an idea of what he wanted a painting to look like before he started. There was a quote from him or one of his contemporaries which said something to the effect of "a great artists can see the finished painting before he starts". On the other hand I heard Lee Fiedlander (again, could be someone else) put his photos into shoe boxes with similar themed photos. Sometimes there was enough to create a "project", sometimes there wasn't

Anyway, it far beyond my current photographic position...

Michael

 

[pvdhaar]

The interesting thing about many artist's work is that it's coherent at all..

And this makes one wonder; is it because they started out with an artistic mission or vision, and worked from there? Or can it be that they're only master of one technique and shape everything they do to fit that technique?

The end result in both cases would be a consistent collection of work, but in the former as a result of creative richness, the second of creative poverty.

 

[Boris Stupak]

 

[Sparrow]

The interesting thing about many artist's work is that it's coherent at all..

And this makes one wonder; is it because they started out with an artistic mission or vision, and worked from there? Or can it be that they're only master of one technique and shape everything they do to fit that technique?

The end result in both cases would be a consistent collection of work, but in the former as a result of creative richness, the second of creative poverty.

... oh, I always thought that was the point. Make it as pretentious as possible but so impenetrable that whatever rubbish a potential client spouts in response the gallery owner can smile slightly and nod in a sagely manner

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

... oh, I always thought that was the point. Make it as pretentious as possible but so impenetrable that whatever rubbish a potential client spouts in response the gallery owner can smile slightly and nod in a sagely manner

Harsh but fair 😉

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Just by way of a bit of levity....have a look at the attached:

http://www.artybollocks.com/

 

[Michael Markey]

I myself cannot see how any of these "statements" can serve the purpose of Art apart from making it look more vapid than some of it already is.