Paul Strand

"The
Art Motive in Photography"
1923
Paul Strand ( r 89o- r
976)
cl ai med to have l earned the modern-
i st aestheti c from l ooki ng at art i n "rgr," Sti egl i tz' s gal l ery.
In the ni neteen-teens, he appl i ed that aestheti c to semi -
abstract pictures of grouped bowls or picket fences. His street
pictures of the time, direct and sharp focus, were usually
taken through a lens on the side of his camera; the subjects
were unaware they were bei ng observed. Sti egl i tz devoted
the last issue of Camera Work to Strand, marking a shift from
pictorialism to sharp-focus, cubist-inspired photographs.
Strand became a vocal proponent of the new style. He was
among the first to be fascinated with precision machinery,
especially the car. In later years he made films and put to-
gether extended photographic essays in several different
countri es.
(From an address del i vered at the Cl arence Whi te School of Photosra-
phy i n r 9z3)
A di scussi on of al l the rami fi cati ons of photographi c mcthotl s i n rnotl -
er n l i f e woul d r equi r e mor c t i r nc i r r r t l spct ' i : r l l i r r or , r ' l r ' <l gc t l r : r r r I hr r vc r r t
my di sposal . I t wor r l r l i ncl r r t l t ' : r l l t l r r . r l i vt l st . us( . s l ( ) u l r i t . l r pl r ot ogr : r -
t , - ( t
THE ART MOTIVE IN PHOTOGRAPHY 211
l rhy
i s bei ng put i n an essenti al l y i ndustri al and sci enti fi c ci vi l i zati on.
Some of these appl i cati ons of the machi ne, the camera, and the mate-
ri al s whi ch go wi th i t, are very wonderful . I need onl y menti on as a
lcw examples the X-ray, micro-photography in astronomy as well as
t he various photo-mechanical processes which have so amazingly given
the worl d access to pi ctori al communi cati on, i n much the same revo-
l rrti onary way that the i nventi on of the pri nti ng press made extensi ve
vcrbal communi cati on possi bl e and easy.
Of much l ess past i mportance than these i n i ts rel ati onshi p to l i fe,
Irccause much l ess cl earl y understood, i s that other phase of photogra-
phy whi ch I have parti cul arl y studi ed and worked wi th, and to whi ch
I will confine myself. I refer to the use of the photographic means as a
rrredi um of expressi on i n the sense that pai nt, stone, words and sound
,rre used for such purpose. In short, as another set of materi al s whi ch,
i n the hands of a few i ndi vi dual s and when under the control of the
rrrost i ntense i nner necessi ty combi ned wi th knowl edge, may become
,rn organi sm wi th a l i fe of i ts own. I say a few i ndi vi dual s, because
they, the true arti sts, are al most as rare a phenomenon among pai nters,
scul ptors, composers as among photographers.
Now the producti on of such l i vi ng organi sms i n terms of any
nrateri al , i s the resul t of the meeti ng of two thi ngs i n the u' orker. It
involves, first and foremost, a thorough respect and understanding for
the parti cul ar materi al s wi th whi ch he or she i s i mpel l ed to work, and
:r degree of mastery over them, whi ch i s craftsmanshi p. And secondl y,
t hat i ndefi nabl e somethi ng, the l i vi ng el ement whi ch fuses wi th crafts-
rnanship, the element which relates the product to life and must there-
l i rre be the resul t of a profound feel i ng and experi ence of l i fe.
(
l raftsmanshi p i s the fundamental basi s whi ch you can l earn and de-
r,' cl op provi ded you start wi th absol ute respect for your materi al s,
whi ch, as students of photography, are a machi ne cal l ed a camera and
thc chemi stry of l i ght and other agents upon metal s. The l i vi ng el e-
rncnt, the pl us, you can al so devel op i f i t i s potenti al l y there. It cannot
l )c taught or gi ven you. Its devel opment i s condi ti oned by your own
l i ' cl i ng whi ch must be a free way of l i vi ng. By a free u' ay of l i vi ng I
rrrcan the di ffi cul t process of fi ndi ng out what your o\\/n feel i ng about
tl rc worl d i s, di sentangl i ng i t from other peopl e' s feel i ngs and i deas. In
otl rcr words, thi s wanti ngto be what may truthful l y be cal l ed an arti st,
i s thc l ast thi ng i n the worl d to worry. You ei ther are that thi ng or you
: l r ( ' I l ( ) t .
Now t hc ge rt cml not i on of art i st i s t l ui t e a di f f cre nt mat t er. Thi s
r r ot i or r r r scs t hc wor d t o t l cscr i l r c r l r ) y( ) nc n, l - r o hr s a l i t t l e t al ent and
: r l r i l i t y, l l : r r t i t ' t r l : r r ' l \ t
i r t t l t c t t st ' ol ' pr t i r t l , : t l t t l t ' , , l t l j t st s t l r i s t : l l cnt , t l t er
278 PHOTOGRAPHY rN PRrNT
commonest thi ng i n the worl d, wi th the exceedi ngl y rare abi l i ty to use
i t creati vel y. Thus everybody who sl i ngs a l i ttl e pai nt i s an arti st, and
the word, l i ke many other words whi ch have been used uncri ti cal l y,
ceases to have any meani ng as a symbol of communi cati on.
However, when you l ook back over rhe devel opment of photog-
raphy, when you l ook at what i s bei ng done today sti l l i n the name of
photography in "Photograms of the Year," in the Year Book of the
Pictorial Photographers, it is apparenr that this general erroneous no-
ti on of arti st has been and i s the chi ef worry of photographers and thei r
undoi ng. They, too, woul d l i ke to be accepted i n pol i te soci ety as
arti sts, as anyone who pai nts i s accepted, and so they try to turn
photography into something which it is not; they introduce a paint
feeling, In fact, I know of very fell' photographers whose work is not
evi dence that at bottom they woul d prefer to pai nt i f they knew how.
Often, perhaps, they are not consci ous of thei r subj ugati on to the i dea
of pai nti ng, of the absence of al l respecr and understandi ng of thei r
own medi um whi ch thi s i mpl i es and whi ch steri l i zes thei r work. But,
neverthel ess, ei ther i n thei r poi nt of vi ew toward the thi ngs they pho-
tograph, or more often i n the handl i ng of certai n unphotographi c ma-
teri al s, they betray thei r i ndebtedness to pai nti ng, usual l y, second-rate
painting. For the patheric part is that the idea which photographers
have had of pai nti ng i s j ust as uncri ti cal and rudi menrary as thi s p<.rp-
ul ar noti on of the arti st. There i s every evi dence i n thei r work that
they have not followed the whole development of painting as they havc
not percei ved the devel opment of thei r own medi um.
You need not take my word for this. The record is there. You can
see for yourself the whole photographic past, its tradition in that ex-
traordinary publication, CameraWork. For photography has a radition
al though most of those who are photographi ng today seem to be un-
aware of the fabt. That is at leasr one of the reasons why they are prcy
to the weaknesses and mi sconcepti ons of that tradi ti on, and are unabl c
to clarify or to add one iota to its development. So if you want to
photograph, and i f you are not l i vi ng on a deserr i sl and, l ook at thi s
tradition critically, find out what photography has meanr ro other peo-
pl e, wherei n thei r work succeeds or fai l s to sati sfy, whether you rhi nk
you coul d hang i t on the same wal l wi th a Durer wood-cut, a pai nti ng
by Rubens or even Corot, wi thout the photograph fal l i ng to pi cccs.
For thi s i s, after al l , the test, not of Art but of l i vi ngness.
In my own exami nati on of the photographi c tracl i ti on I htrvc fountl
out for mysel f, and I thi nk i t can bc tl ertronstr:rtctl , rl rrtt therc i rrc vcry
f ew phot ogr aphs t hat r . r ' i l l nr ccr r l r i s r t . sr . Ar r t l r l r t . t , u i l l nor , l r ccr r r r st
al t hough much r f f l t e r l . r ' l i i s l l r t . r ' t ' sr r l l , l : r r r . r r si l i ' t . f i . t l i r r g I i r r . l i l i . , i r
THE ART MOTIVE IN PHOTOGRAPHY 27q
i s based, neverthel ess, on that fundamental mi sconcepti on that the
photographic means is a short cut to painting. But from the point of
view of genuine and enthusiastic experimentation, however it may have
l l een on the wrong track, thi s work wi l l al ways have great hi stori cal
i mportance, wi l l be i nval uabl e to the student. The gum pri nts of the
Germans, Henneberg, Watzek, the Hoffmei sters and Kuhn, those of
Stei chen v' i l l never happen agai n. Nobody wi l l be wi l l i ng to spend the
time and energy or have the conviction necessary to the production of
these thi ngs. And i t i s when one fi nds, as one does today, photogra-
phers al l over the worl d, i n Engl and, Bel gi um, Germany, i n thi s coun-
try, goi ng ri ght ahead as though nothi ng had ever happened, usi ng thi s
rrnd other mani pul ati ve processes wi thout one one-thousandth of the
i ntensi ty or abi l i ty wi th whi ch thei r predecessors worked, that such
work ceases to have any meani ng and becomes merel y absurd.
Let us stop for a moment before discussing further the photo-
graphi c past and present, to determi ne what the materi al s of photog-
raphy real l y are, what, when they are not perverted, they can do. We
have a camera, a machi ne whi ch has been put i nto our hands by sci -
cnce. Wi th i ts so-cal l ed dead eye, the representati on of obi ects may be
rccorded upon a sensi ti ve emul si on. From thi s negati ve a posi ti ve pri nt
can be made which without any extrinsic manual interference will
rcgister a scale of tonal values in black and white far beyond the power
of the human hand or eye. It can al so record the di fferenti ati on of the
textures of obj ects as the human hand cannot. Moreover, a l ens opti -
cally corrected can draw a line which, although different from the line
drawn by hand, l et us say the l i ne of Ingres, for exampl e, may never-
thel ess be equal l y subtl e and compel l i ng. These, the forms of obi ects,
thei r rel ati ve col our val ues, textures and l i ne, are the i nstruments,
stri ctl y photographi c, of your orchestra. These are the thi ngs the pho-
tographer must learn to understand and control to harmonise. But the
(:rmera machine cannot evade the objects which are in front of it. No
rr)ore can the photographer. He can choose these obj ects, arrange and
cxcl ude, before exposure, but not afterwards' That i s hi s probl em,
thcsc the expressi ve i nstruments wi th whi ch he can sol ve i t. But when
l rc does sel ect the moment, the l i ght, the obj ects, he must be true to
tl rcm. If he i ncl udes i n hi s space a stri p of grass, i t must be fel t as the
l i vi ng di fferenti ated thi ng i t i s, and so recorded. It must take i ts proPer
l )ut n() l ess i mportant pl acc as a shape and a texture, i n rel ati onshi p to
t l r c r nount ai n, r r cc
( ) r - u' hr t t not , whi ch ar e i ncl uded. You must use and
t ' or r t r ol ol r j cct i vi t y t l r t ' or r gl r pl r ot ogr l pl r y l r ccat t sc you cannot evade or
gl oss ovcr l r y t l r t ' t t st ' r , l t t t t 1r l t ot ogr ' : r pl r i t ' t l ) ct h( xl s.
l ) l r ot ogr ' : t pl t ! t , , t t t t t l , r ' , 1, ' r l ; t t t t l r ", , t t <t ' i vt ' t l i s
i r r st
l r cgi l t t t i l t g t o
u 8o PHOTocRAPHY IN PRrNT
emerge, to be used consci ousl y as a medi um of expressi on. In those
other phases of photographi c method whi ch I menri oned, that i s, i n
sci enti fi c and other record maki ng, there has been at l east, perhaps of
necessi ty a modi cum of that understandi ng and control of purel y pho-
tographi c qual i ti es. That i s why I sai d these other phases were nearer
to a truth than al l the so-cal l ed pi ctori al i sm, especi al l y the unori gi nal ,
unexperi mental pi ctori al i sm whi ch today fi l l s sal ons and year-books.
Compared u' i th thi s so-cal l ed pi ctori al photography, whi ch i s nothi ng
but an evasi on of everythi ng photographi c, al l done i n the name of art
and God knows what, a si mpl e record i n the Nati onal Geographi c
Nl [agazi ne, a Druot reproducti on of a pai nti ng or an aeri al photographi c
record i s an unmi xed rel i ef. They are honest, di rect, and someti mes
i nformed wi th the beauty, however uni ntenti onal . I sai d a si mpl e rec-
ord. Wel l , they are not so si mpl e to make, as most of the pi ctori al
photographers woul d fi nd out i f they threw away thei r oi l pi gments
and thei r soft-focus l enses, both of whi ch cover a mul ti tude of si ns,
much abscnce of knou,l edge, much sl oppy workmanshi p. In real i ty
they do not covcr them for anyone who sees.
Gums, oi l s, soft-focus Ienses, these are the worst enemi es, not of
photography whi ch can vi ndi cate i tsel f easi l y and natural l y, but of
photographers. The whol e photographi c past and present! wi th feu'
excepti ons, has been weakened and steri l i zed by the use ofthese thi ngs.
Bctween the past and the present, however, remember that there i s
thi s di sti ncti on-that i n the past rhese exrri nsi c methods were perhaps
necessary as a part of phorographi c experi mentati on and cl ari fi cati on.
But there i s no such excuse for thei r conti nued use today. Men l i ke
Kuhn and Stei chen, who were masters of mani pul ati on and di ffusi on,
have themsel ves abandoned thi s i nterference because they found thc
resul t was a meani ngl ess mi xture, not pai nti ng, and certai nl y not pho-
tography. And yet photographers go right on today gumming and
oi l i ng and soft-focusi ng wi thout a trace of that ski l l and convi cri orr
whi ch these two men possessed, r.vho have abandoned i t. Of course ,
there i s nothi ng i mmoral i n i t. And there i s no reason why they shoul tl
not amuse themsel ves. It merel y has nothi ng to do wi th photographv,
nothi ng to do wi th pai nti ng, and i s a producr of a mi sconccpri on ol '
both. For thi s i s what these processes and materi al s do-oi l and grrrrr
i ntroduce a pai nt feel i ng, a thi ng even more al i en to photograph.v thrrrr
col our i s i n an etchi ng, and l ord knows a col ourcd etchi ng i s cnorrgl r ol '
an abomi nat i on. By i nt r oduci ng pi gmcnt r cxt ur c you l <i l l r hc cxl r r
or di nar y di f f er ent i at i on of t cxt ur cs p. ssi l r l c, r r l y r . phr t r gr r r pl r , v. Ar r t l
yot t dest r <t v t hc sul r t l ct i t ' s of t or r : r l i t i cs. \ \ ' i r l r y, or r r sol i l ot . r r s l t r r s i or r
t l cst r t t y t l r e sol i r l i t y ol - 1or r r - l ol r r r s. l r [ , r r r , , , : r l l t l i l l i . r ' r . r r t i r r t r or r , l t t r
THE ART Mor I Vn r N
pHol ocRApHy
z8 r
tures; and the l i ne di ffused i s no l onger a l i ne, for a si gni fi cant l i ne, that
i s, one that real l y has a rhythmi c emoti onal i ntensi ty, does not vi brate
l ;rteral l y but back, i n a thi rd di mensi on. You see, i t i s nor a questi ()n of
l )ure
or strai ght photography from a moral poi nt of vi ew. It i s si mpl y
t hat the physi cal , demonstrabl e resul ts from the use of unphotographi c
rnethods do not sati sfy, do not l i ve, for the reason I have menti oned.
I' he forml ess hal ated qual i ty of l i ght whi ch you get at such cost wi th a
soft-focus l ens wi l l not sati sfy. The si mpl i fi cati on so easi l y achi eved
ri i th i t and wi th these mani pul ati ve processes wi l l not sati sfy. It i s al l
rnuch too easy, as I know, because I have been through the mi l l mysel f.
I have made gum-pri nts, fi ve pri nti ngs, and I have Whi stl ered wi th a
soft-focus l ens. It i s nothi ng to be ashamed of. I had to go through thi s
cxperi ence for mysel f at a ti me when the true meani ng of photography
had not crystal l i sed, was not so sharpl y defi ned as i t i s today, a crys-
tal l i zati on, by the way, whi ch i s the resul t not of tal k and theori zi ng
l rut of work actual l y done. Photography, i ts phi l osophy, so to speak, i s
i ust
begi nni ng to emerge through the work of one man, Al fred Sti e-
gl i tz, of whi ch I wi l l speak l ater.
In short, photographers have destroyed by the use of these extri n-
si c methods and materi al s, the expressi veness of those i nstruments of
fi )rm, texture and l i ne possi bl e and i nherent i n stri ctl y photographi c
l )rocesses.
And these i nstruments, al though they are di fferent i n the
source and manner of producti on, therefore di fferent i n the character
of thei r expressi veness, from those of any other pl asti c method, are
ncverthel ess rel ated to the i nstrumentati on of the veri tabl e pai nter and
ctcher.
For i f photographers had real l y l ooked at pai nti ng, that i s, al l
pai nti ng, cri ti cal l y as a devel opment, i f they had not been content to
stop wi th the superfi ci al aspects of Whi stl er,
Japanese
pri nts, the i nfe-
ri or work of German and Engl i sh l andscape pai nters, Corot, etc., they
rni ght have di scovered thi s-that the sol i di ty of forms, the di fferenti a-
ti on of textures, and col our are used as si gni fi cant i nstruments i n al l the
supreme achi evements of pai nti ng. None of the pai nti ng
i ust
referred
to comes i n that category. Photographers, as I have sai d before, havc
l rcen i nfl uenced by and have sought to i mi tate ei ther consci ousl y or not
t' onsci ousl y the work of i nferi or pai nters. The work of Rubens, Mi -
cl rael Angel o, El Greco, Cezanne, Renoi r, Mari n, Pi casso, or Mati sse
(' :rn not be so easi l y transl ated i nto photography, for the si mpl e reason
t l r r r t t hcy havc usccl t hci r medi um so pur el y, have bui l t so much on i t s
i r r l r t ' r ent r l t nl i t i cs
( l r : r t
t ' r r t ' r r r echnr cnt i s u' cl l - ni gh i mpossi bl e. And i t i s
l , t i l r g t l t ' r r r or r sl r ' ; r l cr l t . i l : r 1 l l r : r l : r
l r i r ot ogr : r phy
c: r nnot bc i mi t at cd or
t r r t l o: t t ' l t t r l ul xr nr r . r r \ \ \ . t \ l , \ ' l ) : l i nl ( r ' ( ) f ( l ( ' l l ( ' l - . l t i s: r sr r t t t t ' l t : t t l t i r r g
282 PHOTOGRAPHY I N PRI NT
wi th i ts own unal i enabl e character, wi th i ts own speci al qual i ty of
expressi veness! as any ful l y real i zed product of other medi a.
The uni ntel l i gence of present-day photographers, that i s of so-
cal l ed pi ctori al photographers, l i es i n the fact that they have not di scov-
ered the basi c qual i ti es of thei r medi um, ei ther through the mi sconcep-
ti ons of the past or through worki ng. They do not see the thi ng whi ch
i s happeni ng, nor whi ch has happened, because they do not know thei r
own tradi ti on. Thi s i s proven by thei r conti nued pueri l e use of the
unphotographi c methods
i ust
deal t wi th, evi dence that they are sti l l
domi nated by a rudi mentary, uncri ti cal concepti on of pai nti ng, that
they see i n a hal f-baked, semi -photographi c product a short cut to what
they concei ve pai nti ng to be, and to the recogni ti on of themsel ves as
arti st. But, above al l , the l ack of knowl edge of thei r own tradi ti on i s
prcrved by the fact that thousands of numbers of Carnera Work lie idle
today i n storage vaul ts, i n cel l ars, cl utter up shel ves. These marvel ous
books whi ch have no counterpart or equal , whi ch contai n the onl y
compl ete record of the devel opment of photography and i ts rel ati onshi p
to other phases of l i fe, to the publ i cati on of whi ch Sti egl i tz devoted
years of l ove and enthusi asm and hard l l ,ork, photographers have l eft
to rot on hi s hands, a constant wei ght upon hi m, physi cal and fi nanci al .
That he has not destroyed every copy i s a mi racl e. But he conri nues to
preserve them as wel l as the col l ecti on of photographs represenri ng rhi s
past devel opment of photography, the onl y col l ecti on of i ts ki nd rn
exi stence, and most of whi ch he purchased-al l thi s he preserves per-
haps because he has fai th i n photography, i n the u' ork he has done, and
i n the young generati on of students, who, he hopes, wi l l seek them out
and use them; that i s, use al l thi s past experi ment, not to i mi tate, but
as a means of cl ari fyi ng thei r own work, of gror.vi ng, as the pai nter u' ho
i s al so an arti st can use hi s tradi ti on. Photographers have no othcr
access to thei r tradi ti on, to the experi mental work of the past. For
whereas the pai nter may acquai nt hi msel f wi th the devel opment antl
past achi evements of hi s medi um, such i s not rhe case for the studcnt-
worker i n photography. There i s no pl ace where you can see the work
of Hi l l , Whi te, Kasebi er, Eugene, Sti egl i tz as wel l as the u' ork of'
Europe, on permanent exhi bi ti on. Yet the photographers do nor sccrrr
to be i nterested. They have done nothi ng to hel p preservc or usc rhcs('
thi ngs. Thi s i s i n i tsel f a cri ti ci sm of thei r i ntensi ty, and i t shou' s i n rl rc
qual i ty of thei r work. Al l the way through there i s thi s abscncc of f-rri rl r
i n the di gni ty and worth of thei r own medi um, how,cvcr trscri or rrus
used, and, at t he same t i me, t hc absur d at t empt t o pr ovc t o t l r c r vor ' l t l
t hat t hey t oo, ar e ar t i st s.
- l hc
t u, o t hi ngs cl o not j i l r e. So I sr r , r , l {) \ ' ( ) r l
agai n, t l r c r ccor cl i s t hcr c, r r ct ' t ' ssi l r l t ' t ( ) : ur \ ' ( ) l l ( ' sul - f i r ' i t ' r r t l Y i r r t . r t st t , l .
r HE, AR' I ' MOTI VE I N PHOTOGRAPHY 263
If when you have studi ed i t, you sti l l have to gum, oi l , or soft-focus,
that i s al l ri ght, that i s your experi ence to go through wi th. The human
ani mal seems unabl e for some reason or other to l earn much from ei tner
the bl under or the wi sdom of the past. Hence the war. But there are,
neverthel ess, l aws to whi ch he must ul ti matel y conform or be de-
stroyed. Photography, bei ng one mani festati on of l i fe, i s al so subi ect to
such l aws. I mean by l aws those forces whi ch control the qual i ti es of
thi ngs, whi ch make i t i mpossi bl e for an oak tree to bri ng forth chest-
nuts. Wel l , that i s what photographers have been tryi ng to make pho-
tography do-make chestnuts, and usual l y ol d chestnuts, grow on an
oak tree. I won' t say i t can' t be done, but i t certai nl y has not been
tkl ne. I don' t care hov' you photograph-use the ki tchen mop i f you
rrrust, but i f the product i s not true to the l aws of photography, that i s,
i f i t i s not based on the i nherent qual i ti es I have menti oned, as i t wi l l
r ) ot , you have pr oduced somet hi ng whi ch i s dead. Of cour se, i t does
rrot fol l ow that i f you do make what has been cal l ed a good strai ght
l )hotograph,
you wi l l thereby automati cal l y create a l i vi ng organi sm,
l rrrt, at l east, you wi l l have done an honest pi ece of work, somethi ng
u hi ch may gi ve the pl easure of craftsmanshi p.
And i f you can fi nd out somethi ng about the l aws of your ou/n
l tr)\{.' th
and vi si on as wel l as those of photography you may be abl e to
rt' l ate the two, create an obj ect whi ch has a l i fe of i ts own, whi ch
rl rrnscends craftsmanshi p. That i s a l ong road, and because i t must be
\
( )ur own road nobody can teach i t to you or fi nd i t for you. There are
r r o shor t cut s. no r ul es.
Perhaps you wi l l say, But wai t; how about desi gn and composi -
ti on, or i n pai nter' s l i ngo, organi sati on and si gni fi cant form? My an-
' ,u e r i s that these are words whi ch, when they become formul ated,
"rr:rri fy,
as a rul e, perfectl y dead thi ngs. That i s to say u' hen a veri tabl e
( r' (' rtor comes al ong, he fi nds the onl y form i n whi ch he can cl othe hi s
l .t l i ngs and i deas. If he works i n a graphi c medi um he must fi nd a way
r,, si rl pl i fy the expressi on and el i mi nate everythi ng that i s i rrel evant to
rr l ,.very part of hi s pi cture, rvhether a pai nti ng, etchi ng, or a photo-
l i l rrph,
must be meani ngful , rel ated to every other part. Thi s he does
nrrl ur' :rl l y and i nevi tabl y by usi ng the true qual i ti es of hi s medi um i n i ts
r r ' l : r t i on t o hi s exper i ence of l i f e. Nou' when he has done t hi s t r anscen-
, l t r r t t l r i ng, af t er much har d u, or k, exper i ment and many f ai l ur es, t he
, ri ti c :rnrl thc profcssors, ctc.r appear on the scene usual l y fi fteen or
t \ \ ( r ) t \ ' y, ct r s r r f t cr t hc nr an has di cd, and t hey deduce f r om hi s wor k
r r r l t s ol - t ' or t r posi t i or r r r r r i l r l csi gn.
' l ' hcn
t hc school gr ou' s and academi c
r r r r i l r r t i or r , r r r r t i l l i l r : r l l r ' : r r r , t l r t ' r ' r nl n ( ' ( ) r ) t ( ' s r r l ong, l r nd, al so nat ur al l y
, r nr l i r t t ' r ' i t r r l r l \ ' , l r r t ' : r l i s: r l l t l r t r r r l , s u' l r i r ' l r t l r <' cr i t i c : r r r t l t hc pr of i ' ssor s
264 PHOTOGRAPHY IN PRINT
have neatl y ti ed up wi th bl ue ri bbon. And so i t goes. In other words,
composi ti on, desi gn, etc., cannot be fi xed by rul es, they are not i n
themsel ves a stati c prescri pti on by whi ch you make a photograph or
anythi ng that has meani ng. They si gni fy merel y the way of synthesi s
and simplification which creative individuals have found for them-
sel ves. If you have somethi ng to say about l i fe, you must al so fi nd a
way of sayi ng i t cl earl y. If you achi eve that cl ari ty of both percepti on
and the abi l i ty to record i t, you wi l l have creared your own composi -
ti on, your ou' n ki nd of desi gn, personal to you rel ated to orher peopl e' s,
yet your own. The poi nt I wanr ro make i s that there i s no such thi ng
as
-l he
Way; there i s onl y for each i ndi vi dual , hi s or her way whi ch i n
the l ast anal ysi s, each one musr fi nd for hi msel f i n photography and i n
living. As a matter of fact, your photography is a record of your living,
for anyone r.vho really sees. You may see and be affected by the other
peopl e' s \r' ays, you may even use them to fi nd your own, but you wi l l
have eventual l y to free yoursel f of them. That i s what Ni etzsche meant
when he sai d, "I have
i ust
read Schopenhauer, now I have to get ri d of
hi m." He knew how i nsi di ous other peopl e' s ways coul d be, parri cu-
larly those which have the forcefulness of profound experience, if you
l et them go between you and your vi si on. So I say to you that compo-
si ti on and desi gn mean nothi ng unl ess they are the moul ds you yoursel f
have made, i nto whi ch to pour your own content, and unl ess you can
make the moul d, whi ch you cannot i f you do nor respect your materi al s
and have some mastery over them, you have no chance to rel ease thar
content. In othcr words, Iearn to photng.rph fi rst, Iearn your craft,
and i n the doi ng of that you wi l l fi nd a way, i f you have anythi ng ro
say, of sayi ng i t. The ol d masters were craftsmen fi rst, some one <l f
them artist, afterwards. Now this analysis of photography and photog-
raphers i s not a theory, but deri ved from my own experi ence as a
worker, and more than that. even. i s based on the concrete achi evc-
ments of D. O. Hi l l , who phorographed i n r 843 and of Al fred Sti egl i tz,,
whose work today i s the resul t of thi rty-fi ve years of experi mentati on.
The work of those two men, Hi l l , the one photographi c pri mi ti vc,
Sti egl i tz, who has been the l eader i n the fi ght to establ i sh photography,
not photographers, stands out sharply from that of all other photogrt-
phers. It embodi es i n my opi ni on, the onl y two ful l y real i sed trul y
photographi c expressi ons, so far, and i f a cri ti cal comment upon tl rc
mi sconcepti ons of the i ntermedi ary past and the steri l i ty of thc prcscrrt.
The wor k of bot h di scl ai ms any er r cmpr r o pai nr . ei r ht . r i n f ccl i ng. r r i n
handl i ng.
The psychol ogy of I I i l l i s i nt cr t . st i r r g. I I c l r i r nscl l ' w: r s r r
1: r r i r r r cr ,
r r
mcnt l l cr of t l r c l l oyl t l Scot cl r At ' r t t l t ' r ny : r r r t l , , r r t ol - l r i s cor nr r r i ssi or r s r v: r s
THE ART MOTM IN PHOTOGRAPHY 2U5
ro paint a picture in which were to appear recognizable portraits of
\ome one hundred or more notable people of the time. He had heard of
t lrc lately invented process of photography, and it occurred to him that
it might be of considerable assistance in the painting of his picture. He
l rcgan to experi ment wi th a crude camera and l ens, wi th paper nega-
ti ves, exposures i n the sun fi ve or si x mi nutes, and he became so
l:rscinated by these things that he neglected his painting. He worked
lirr three years with photography and then finally, when his wife and
ll icnds got at him and told him he was an artist and wasting his time,
rr uther words, gave him a bad conscience, he gave it up and, as far as
rlc know, never photographed again. In other words, when Hill pho-
r,rgraphed he was not thi nki ng of pai nti ng. He was not tryi ng to turn
l ,l x)tography
i nto pai nt or even to make i t do an equi val ent. Starti ng
rlith the idea of using photography as a means. It so fascinated him
tl rrrt i t soon became an end i n i tsel f. The resul ts of hi s experi mentati on
rt' vcal , therefore, a certai n di rectness, a qual i ty of percepti on whi ch,
,r ith Hill's extraordinary feeling for the people whom he photo-
l gl rrphed,
has made hi s work stand unsurpassed, unti l today. And thi s,
rrri nd you, despi te the crudi ty of the materi al s wi th whi ch he had to
u,rrk, the l ong exposures, etc., and i n spi te of the fact that George
l'.:rstman was not there to tell Hill that all he (Hill) had to do was press
tl rc button and he (Eastman) woul d do the rest. He was not tryi ng to
prrint with photography. Moreover, it is interesting to note that his
p:ri nfi ng, i n whi ch he was constrai ned by the academi c standards of the
ti rrrc, has passed i nto obscuri ty. Hi s photography i n whi ch he was
r , ; r l 11' f r ee l i ves.
The work of Stieglitz, from the earliest examples done thirty-five
\
(' :rrs
ago, to the amazi ng thi ngs he i s doi ng today, exhi bi ts to even a
rrr,rrc marked degree thi s remarkabl e absence of al l i nterference wi th
rlrt iruthentic qualities of photography. There is not the slightest trace
,
'1 lxrint
feeling or evidence of a desire to paint. Years ago, when he was
.r strrclent in Germany painters who saw his photographs often said,
"(
)l -course, thi s i s not Art, but we woul d l i ke to pai nt the way you
pl rotograph." Hi s repl y was, "I don' t know anythi ng about Art, but
l r)r' s()me reason or other I have never wanted to photograph the way
r,,rr prri nt." There you have a compl ete statement of the di fference
l rr' rwccn the atti tude of Sti egl i tz towards photography, and practi cal l y
, r t l y other photographer. And i t i s there i n hi s work, from the earl i est
t, l l rc l atcst. From the begi nni ng Sti egl i tz has accepted the camera
r r r : r t ' l r i r r c, i nst i nct i vcl y f <r r r nt l i n i t sonr ct hi ng whi ch was par t of hi msel f ,
. , r r , l l ovt ' t l i t . Ar r r l t l r : r t i s t l r t ' pr t ' - r cr l r r i si t c f i r r any l i vi ng phot ogr aphi c
, r pr t ssi on of l t t t _yont ' .
286 PHOTOGRAPHY IN PRINT
I do not want to di scuss i n detai l thi s work of Sti egl i tz, as another
exhibition of his most recent photographs opens April first at the An-
derson Gal l eri es. Go and see these thi ngs yoursel f. If possi bl e, l ook at
the earlier photographs in Carnera Work, so that you can follow the
devel opment of hi s knowl edge and of hi s percepti ons, Sti egl i tz has
gone much further than Hi l l . Hi s work i s much wi der i n scope, more
consci ous, the resul t of many more years of i ntensi ve experi ment.
Every i nstrument, form, texture, l i ne and even pri nt col our are cal l ed
i nto pl ay, subj ugated through the machi ne to the si ngl e purpose of
expressi on. Noti ce how every obi ect, every bl ade of grass, i s fel t and
accounted for, the full acceptance and use of the thing in front of it'
Note, too, that the size and shape of his mounts become part of the
expressi on. He spends months someti mes
i ust
tryi ng to mount a pho-
tograph so sensi ti ve i s the presentati on. Observe al so how he has used
sol ari sati on, real l y a defect, how he has used i t as a vi rtue consci ousl y,
made the negati ve wi th that i n mi nd. That i s trul y creati ve use of
material, perfectly legitimate, perfectly photographic.
In other words, go and see what photography really is and what it
can record in the hands of one who has worked with intense resPect
and i ntel l i gence, who has l i ved equal l y i ntensel y, wi thout theori cs,
Stieglitz fought for years to give other people a chance to work and trr
devel op, and he i s sti l l fi ghti ng. The photographers fai l ed. They di d
not devel op, and di d not grow. Sti egl i tz has done for photograpl ry
what they have not been abl e to do. He has taken i t out of the real m ol '
mi sconcepti on and a promi se, and made i t a ful fi l l ment.
In hi s exhi bi ti on two years ago he set asi de the questi on of whethcr'
photography i s or i s not art i s of no i mportance to hi m, j ust as he di tl
thi rty-fi ve years ago. Exactl y, because nobody knows what art i s ot'
God or al l the other abstracti ons, parti cul arl y those who make cl ai rl l s
to such knowl edge. There are a few, however, who do know whrtt
photography i s and what pai nti ng i s. They know that there i s as mttcl t
pai nti ng whi ch i s bad photography as most photography i s bad pai rrt
i ng. In short, they have some i dea whether a thi ng i s genui ne and rl l i vc
or fal se and dead.
In cl osi ng, I wi l l say thi s to you as students of photography. l )orr' t
thi nk when I say students that I am tryi ng to tal k down. Wc art' rrl l
srudents, i ncl udi ng Sti egl i tz. Some a l i ttl e l onger at i t than the tttl tt' rr'
a l i ttl e more experi enced. When you cease to be a student you nri gl l t rl \
wel l be dead as far as the si gni fi cance of your work i s conccrnctl . So I
am si mpl y tal ki ng to you as one student to others, ottt of l l ry o\\' rr
experi ence. And I say to you, bcf<rrc yorr gi vc yotl r ti nl c, i l rttl
.yott
rt tl l
have t o gi vc mr r ch, t o
l t hot ogr upl t - y,
l i r r r l or r t i t t yot t r scl vt ' s l t t , ' ur ' ' t t t t t r l t
THE ART MorrvE IN
pHorocRApHy
287
it means to you. If you really want to paint, then do not photograph
except as you may want to amuse yourselves along with the rest of Mr.
Eastman's customers. Photography is not a short cut to painting, being
an arti st, or anythi ng el se. On the other hand, i f thi s camera machi ne
with its materials fascinates you, compels your energy and respect,
learn to photograph. Find out first what this machine and these mate-
rials can do without any interference except your own vision. Photo-
graph a tree, a machi ne, a tabl e, any ol d thi ng; do i t over and over
rrgain under different conditions of light. See what your negative will
record. Fi nd out what your papers, chl ori de, bromi de, pal l adi um, the
different grades of these, will register, what differences in colour you
can get with different developers, and how these differences affect the
cxpressi on of your pri nts. Experi ment wi th mounts to see what shape
'rnd
size do to your photograph. The field is limitless, inexhaustible,
u'ithout once stepping outside the natural boundaries of the medium.
ln short, work, experiment and forget about art, pictorialism and other
rrrrimportant more or less meaningless phrases. Look at Carnera Work.
l.ook at it critically, know at least what photographers have done. Look
;rl so
i ust
as cri ti cal l y at what i s bei ng done and what you are doi ng.
l ,ook at pai nti ng i f you wi l l , but the whol e devel opment; don' t stop
rr ith Whistler and
Japanese
prints. Some have said that Stieglitz por-
Ilrrits were so remarkable because he hypnotized people. Go and see
rr lrat he has done with clouds; find out whether his hypnotic power
( l i tcnds to the el ements.
Look at all these things. Get at their meaning to you; assimilate
\\ l r:rt you can, and get ri d of the rest. Above al l , l ook at the thi ngs
.rr' ,,und you, the i mmedi ate worl d around you. If you are al i ve, i twi l l
rrrr' :rn somethi ng to you, and i f you know how to use i t, you wi l l want
r,,
l )hotograph
that meani ngness. If you l et other peopl e' s vi si on get
l rr' l ' ,vcen the worl d and your o\yn, you wi l l achi eve that extremel y
( .rnrnon and worthl ess thi ng, a pi ctori al photograph. But i f you keep
rl ,i s vi si on cl ear you may make somethi ng whi ch i s at l east a photo-
1i r
:rph, whi ch has a l i fe of i ts own, as a tree or a matchbox, i f you see i t,
l r,rs :r l i fc of i ts own. An organi sm whi ch refuses to l et you thi nk about
.rr t , pi ctori al i sm or even photography, i t si mpl y i s. For the achi evement
,' l tl ri s thcrc are no short cuts, no formul ae, no rul es except those of
\ , ) ur ' ( ) wn l i vi ng. Ther e i s necessar y however , t he shar pest ki nd of
' ., l l t' r' i ti ci srn, courage and hard work. But fi rst l earn to photograph.
I l rrr :rl onc | fi ncl fi rr myscl f i s a probl em wi thout end.