Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/15

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Eggleston: art photography
From: John Collier <jbcollier@home.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 14:56:38 -0700

I think Faulkner is a marvelous example and an another one would be James
Joyce. If you compare his two great books: Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake, I
think that two different types of art appear; both very self aware but one
more self-serving than the other. Ulysses is a brilliant work of allegory,
language and history but the reader, unless he is one of people that appear
in the book, better have good notes and a sound grasp of political and
literary history to get the full meaning of the text*. In Finnegan's Wake
nobody knows what the heck is going on and it will (and was solely written
to) keep the critics and academia busy for the next 1000 years to no avail.
I would group Eggleston in the Ulysses camp and I am not sure who to put in
the FW camp but I am sure some one will volunteer a few worthies. I find the
FW type work clever but mostly in an annoying sort of way. While the Ulysses
type work is rich and layered; just delightful to learn about and even the
smallest details, when understood, adding to the richness of the work.
Modern literature has become more about rhythms, patterns and textures,
every bit as confusing to the lay person as art photography. I do not
understand that much but reading histories and criticism helps me to scratch
the confusing veneer and see some of the richness underneath.

John Collier

*A good map of old Dublin would help too.