[Leica] Re: Analog prints in shows

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Dec 15, 2008, at 1:34 PM, Tina wrote:

> what do you do
> with those 100% non-digital prints?  If you want to enter them in a
> gallery, a show, or a competition, or publish them in a book, you
> have to eventually get them into digital form.  You would end up
> sending the 100% non-digital print to be displayed, true, but it
> would first have to be accepted and everybody wants digital files  
> to review.
>
---------
>
> I went to a juried show at the Light Factory in Charlotte featuring
> about the works of 6 different photographers.  The curator told me
> that he had selected the works based completely on viewing them on
> the internet.  He was very disappointed when he saw how one of the
> photographers had framed and displayed his work and said he would not
> have included that photographer if he had seen the actual prints!


Tina,

I've noticed a pullback from the digital submission of artwork and  
photographs in some quarters. My wife is a well known local artist  
and regularly submits her work to museums and art shows. For the last  
few years the curators have asked for digital files, usually  
submitted on CDs. But this year several museums, including the  
Katonah Art Museum, the Guggenheim, and Connecticut's Silvermine  
Museum have asked to see the works in person rather than relying on  
digital files. Other museums will accept digital files but reserve  
the right to reject art works if they are not faithfully represented.  
I've talked to several curators and art judges about their reasons.  
Some feel that digital files can be manipulated via Photoshop to  
enhance image quality, changing contrast, increasing color  
saturation, etc. so that the presentation is not faithful to the  
actual work. Others feel that the digital file gives no feel for the  
work in its original size and framing. Indeed, I share their  
concerns. One of my wife's paintings, with subtle changes in color,  
comes off very poorly as a digital file, although it has won prizes  
in shows. Another of her paintings works very well as a digital file.  
She feels that it is better than the original. It has never failed to  
get accepted at a museum show.

Larry Z