lushd said:
If you have a vision as a photographer, is that enough to make you an artist? Can you be an artist without an inner vision?
Does the artist control the meaning and interpetation of his or her work?
As I see it, to answer each question: Not necessarily / It's possible / It happens.
Ian brings up an interesting point, and you may think this is not related at first: who really is the
maker, the "doer" of Art? Do you have to literally get your hands dirty, so to speak, or not lift a single finger, and still be creative?
Ideas are powerful. Art, evoking ideas, is often more powerful than that which simply is what it is and nothing more. For example, the tired Exhibit A: the Mona Lisa. Technically it is full of "flaws" and perfections. It has
ideas executed and suggested. It is red herring and compass. Exhibit B: Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup can. It is what it is, and nothing more, yet it leaves
you as the viewer to decide whether what you're seeing is Art or merely a can of soup. It is direct and elusive too. Technically it is full of "flaws" and perfections. As an
idea, it still stands on its own. The debate on whether it's art or not, that work is left to us (to those that care, anyway).
The mastermind and the executioner, that's what photography as Art
usually shows you. And like all living things, you may be focusing on one thing, but there are many pieces building the
collective work, just like an organism. Most concentrate on the eyes, the face, and this is what the "main works" tend to be (as I see it). It is rare to see only one work and one work only as output from an artist. The artist strives to express him or herself, until they're satisfied (which is hardly ever the case) or until they're ignored by his or her public. There are artists whose public are only themselves.
This quest for "improvement" usually leads to seemingly pointless questions such as "what is the best fork for eating sweet peas?" Who cares, just grab the peas, some say. Use a knife, that's always worked for me, would say others. If the question is simply for attracting attention, then it's merely an exercise in egoism. Some people are better at it than others, and they have chosen their medium.