Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/27

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] OT:Photo grad school.
From: Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 13:54:55 -0800

>I was referring to the so-called "art" photographers who tend to exist close
>to the academic world. Most people thankfully have never heard of them. A few
>examples include: James Welling,  Richard Prince, Connie Hatch, Martha
>Rosler, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine (famous for "rephotographing" Walker
>Evans and Edward Weston), and yes,  the most dreadful of all, Cindy Sherman--
>who thanks to luck and pluck has managed to escape from the academic  world.


Do I need to toot this old horn again? (How does that go? ... Oh yeah...
Lights up, drum roll... JP Souza march plays softly in the background...)

Though I'm no fan of Cindy Sherman's work, I think it a bit presumptuous to
write her off with a glib retort. People around the world - the public and
art/photography makers/curators/critics, etc. - have found value in her
work, and I'm sure none of us are suggesting that we alone understand what
photography and art are, and that those countless others are hopelessly
misguided. She's been exhibited in major museums around the world and
received prestigious awards (like the Hasselblad prize), both of which are
achievements many of us here can only dream of accomplishing with their
work. So, let's give her and those who find value in her work the benefit
of the doubt. The world is big enough for the Lug *and* Cindy Sherman.

Guy


P.S. The next time ol' Eggleston comes up for a thrashing by Lug
know-it-alls, John Collier, will you please send the above out in your
weekly reminder series, exchanging his name for hers of course, until the
food fight dies down...
- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html