Edit: It turns out this was a repost to PetaPixel of a photoblogographer's post on the subject. When I started reading it had already struck a nerve, hence the title of this article. I've twisted myself up over Blake's article and the whole 'establishment' thing. I had to put it down yesterday and walk away from it. I couldn't just let it stay a draft though, I needed to get it up and out of my mind. Forgive me for its randomness and incompleteness!
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I'm trying to decide how I feel about this. So...I write to try to work through it; bear with me, and please weigh in!
http://petapixel.com/2014/12/13/just-peter-liks-record-breaking-photo-sale-may-constitute-torture/
Edit: I have to say I like and appreciate this article's author and his condescending reporting. OK fine, depending on your perspective it might amount to blunt-force trauma with a silk-covered bat. I love it. "...officially approved photographer..."...Yes, I love it. "...officially approved gallerist..." Please be still, my dark, sarcastic heart.
I have to admit I had blinders on when I read what sounded like an accusation as I began reading. I went looking found the author originally posted this article on his own blog:
http://blakeandrews.blogspot.com/2014/12/tortured-logic.html
I adore this guy, Blake - you need to go check out his blog and work; I certainly have been and will continue to watch. I left my original post below and will continue with it a bit, knowing what I know now.
OK, tossing out the 'torture' argument for now, mainly because on the surface this strikes me as a bunch of whiny, butt-hurt, self-absorbed types who are trying desperately to defend their seemingly 'exclusive' careers. Not that I blame them - art history majors have usually had to fight tooth and nail to get to where they are if they hold any kind of position or prestige. And art should be preserved, cherished and valued...but...shouldn't everyone's?
Disclaimer: I know none of them, save a few friends who work in the industry, along with virtually nothing about art history. That statement alone would be enough for them to dismiss me and my opinions with nary a second glance, and that is perfectly fine with me...not that any of them will make it far enough to read this in the first place. As I get zapped by lightning on this fine, clear day in SFO, hehe. I write mainly to think out loud and to whomever might be watching. Of course, I will not gripe if someone reads and loves my opinions and happens to agree or disagree with them. Even less if someone were to happen along and pay me a bit of dough for one of my current images. Hell, at this point I'll make it a 1 of 1 edition if they offer enough. I'd guess any aspiring artist would, and only for the opportunity to be self-sufficient enough to continue their work-art unhampered.
I found this statement amusing: "an open edition of a mundane Southwestern landscape".*
Not to diss Gursky remotely - the more I understand the technical ability to pull off such a shot (his The Rhein II, for example) the more I appreciate how impressive it is to set it up and see it through to a massive and still effective print, especially back then. But...mundane? Seriously? Someone doesn't get out much.* I have not been to Antelope Canyon but you can be certain I desperately want to go there. And carrying what? My camera gear, of course. The light that saturates the atmosphere and caresses the landscape in the American Southwest is to die for. And then there is the luck of some shots - for myself, I value much more highly the one-off, unplanned shot that you never could have anticipated. 'Phantom' - I bet Peter got shivers when he saw that image capture for the first time. You cannot set something like that up, and it will likely never be duplicated. Give me a few years of dedicated study (I have ONE under my belt now...muahahahaha!!!) and some money for equipment and I bet I can duplicate some of the other million-dollar hitters' work. And I can duplicate Peter's framing and gorgeous shot, but never its exact content. Shivers!
In my personal opinion, The Rhein II might be of value as a historical milestone and monument to the evolution of the photographic art community, but, given previous statements, who is to say that any photo produced by anyone else is not worth as much or more money than a milestone? To me, that ends the argument right there - any time you get people trying to defend their personal revenue streams you get tooth-gnashing arguments. Break out the popcorn! Of course, in an attempt to avoid personal hypocrisy, I cannot say for sure I would behave any differently. I do know, however, I am not in any remote danger of ever taking myself seriously. Popcorn! Organic, with vegan butter-like stuff and non-radioactive sea salt, of course.
That said, anyone can see what is happening to the photography community currently. I picked the absolute worst time to fall in love with this pursuit and attempt to make it a livelihood. The shear volumes, in our case, tera-to-petabytes of images flooding the entire planet is diluting the value of the entire industry. Isn't it? I have theories but cannot possibly go into all of them here. I would say one thing - if I were a billionaire, I'd be looking for many artists whose work I could acquire for, say, $50-$100k apiece, if only to collect some really amazing pieces that resonate with me personally and help make the breathing room in their financial survival just a weee bit more spacious.
Also - what happened to 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'? Some people are emotionally affected by certain items and, or, in this case, visuals. I am no fanboi of anything, but Lik's photographs are commonly the next best thing to stepping into the environment they eloquent. Let's face also this - many many photographers out there have superb talents, from exploring, finding the light and frame, capturing as well as can be had in the field, cleaning up the image in post, and finally printing and preservation. Lik has taken advantage of the Aussiephilia that has hit the US over the last couple of decades (and rightly so - they are a fun bunch!) and figured out what it takes to be a popular brand in this day and age - he knows full well what people are like today and he gives them what they want. He's edgy (From the Edge? Yeah...believable...), creative, fit, man's man, woman's man...he seems to have his shit together. Seriously - who wouldn't want to be in his shoes? He's a self-made success, not to diminish the likely hundreds of great people who have helped him get there. I hope he appreciates and takes great care of all of them. But I digress. Wait...this is my blog, nofuxgivn. I'll digress all I fukin want, dammit.
Besides, there are a lot more people with expendable incomes these days, and, realistically, let's face it - in the days of several-hundred-foot yachts, 8-and-9-figure residences and other ridiculous toys, it is about bragging rights, right? If nothing else the right to brag to your friends, since in Lik's case his sale was private and the buyer remained anonymous.
<3 Blake. <3 Lik. <3 PetaPixel.
The Establishment? Meh.
*Yes, I now realize this was in jest!
©2015 Michael Pichahchy
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