Dec 11 2008
On How Art Incorporates Us
To the complaint, “There are no people in these photographs,” I respond, “There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer.”
– Ansel Adams
The opinion of art can vary widely from person to person. The viewer’s reaction depends upon what the viewer brings to the photo, painting or other piece of artwork. One person could see a painting and be moved by it, be touched deeply, for reasons not always understood. Another viewer might see the same picture and blah it does nothing for them.
This is true for all forms of art, including music and writing. The artist is only one-half of the art - the viewer, or hearer, or reader, is the other half.
Adams did more than 50% of his art in the darkroom. He shot film, then developed it and manipulated it as he printed his amazing photos. It is okay that there are no people pictured. The photo remains an interpretation of the two most important people of the moment - photographer and viewer.
Ansel Adams, Oak Tree at Sunrise
