Paul Grecian - Photography

I’ve studied biology most of my life. In college, my major was Psycho-biology which translated into animal behavior. When I worked as a biologist in Philly, I used the train commute to read, but always fell behind. Now, over four years after leaving that career for this one, I have finally caught up in reading my magazine subscriptions.

So here I am reading a December 2000 issue of Natural History magazine and I come across a fascinating article entitled Birth of the Arts by Ellen Dissanayake. In it she begins to explain her theory of what lies behind the human urge to elaborate and embellish. She suggests that it basically derives from the “emotionally evocative and compelling features of mother-infant interaction”. Further, she places high importance on ceremonies rich in art as efficient means of arousing interest, compelling attention, and conveying important messages. And she provides a purpose for it all - “through being especially riveting, beautiful, rare, painstaking, and astonishing, a people’s arts are emblems to themselves of how much they care about the sacred beliefs that bind and preserve them”.

For me this describes not just the urge to create, but the reason that we all buy and support the arts whether visual, musical, theatrical, or otherwise. And it does so in a biological construct of evolution and anthropology. I’ve just discovered her writings, so there is more I want to read of her (she has at least three books out).

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It’s an intriguing title for a book and so I bought it. The full title is Pictures of Nothing - Abstract Art Since Pollock by Kirk Varnedow (see it here Amazon). The book deals heavily with minimalism, both two-dimensional and 3-dimensional. This is not any easy read for a newbee, but I’ve been pushing through it.

I have very mixed feelings about the work presented. I often think that the writing is better than the art. Some of the work just doesn’t stand up to any standard I have self  imposed. At the same time the book is making me stretch my internal definitions somewhat. I suspect that I will continue to have a real problem looking at what is basically piled trash as art.

However, I do like simplicity in my work, minimalism if you will, and felt that the book would help me look at that element in a new way. And so it has. My reading experience so far leaves me looking at the figures in the book a new way. I get the sense that if what is presented is art, then anything can be art, and if anything can be art, then maybe everything is art. That can be a bit overwhelming. I look at the pen on my desk and see it as a conical form instead of a writing instrument. Heck, my daughter’s rather messy room (clearly not minimalism) may be seen as an installation maybe.

I don’t know where this book will leave me, but it is giving me ideas, and that is alright.

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I’ve recently finished reading Jim Brandenburg’s treasure of a book - Chased By The Light. This was a personal project that Brandenburg took on to create one image everyday from the first day of fall till the first day of winter. Just one image a day, no more. The result was seen by a National Geographic editor who convinced Brandenburg to allow it to be published. All 90 images appeared in the magazine and the response was immediate. It may be one of the greatest works and greatest projects known to the medium.

Then the book came out, a calendar, and other merchandise. Anyway, I found the book to be excellent. I won’t say that every image grabbed me equally, but the best images were very moving. The real thing about this book was the project itself. The discipline involved to be creative everyday and to limit ones-self to only making ONE image a day. I doubt I could do it!

In fact, I’m not working on any project right now. The only project I’m even thinking about isn’t even within my typical genre of nature imagery. I don’t think my creativity runs in project form. I like the freedom of being able to think about individual images outside of an overall structure or to respond in the moment to a visual experience. Projects to me seem binding and limiting. I may change my mind about this should a project present itself or I become especially enthralled with a given subject matter. I like being a bit of a generalist right now though.

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Hey it is still summer! And even with so much summer stuff to do, I try to get at least 2 hours of reading in a day. The first hour of the day will find me at the front of the house reading a photo mag with a cup of coffee. My afternoon break will put me on the back deck with an art mag with a cup of coffee. I also read before bed (no coffee), usually a book on art or photography and/or some work of fiction.

Currently I am enjoying  B&W magazine which is devoted to the art of black and white photography and Wildlife Art magazine, which covers all aspects of wildlife and nature art. The book I’ve got on my bedside table is Jim Brandenburg’s Looking for the Summer. This sequel to Chased by the Light, displays one image made each day of one summer. He adds his thoughts on the images and the process.

The image below is a summer image. It is one I made at my in-laws on Labor Day. With real image-making time getting so hard to come by, I have begun bringing my camera to events that normally I would not. I actually became so engrossed with the 2 dozen or so skippers that were on these flowers that I didn’t realize how quickly a one gig card could get filled.

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That seems to be the accepted date for the invention of photography - 1839. I’m amazed by the history of this medium, as relatively short as it is. The impact it has had on the art world has been profound. Photography has been condemned and heralded as both the ruin of art and its savior. That doesn’t even take into account the debate among photographers since 1839 as to what photography is or should be. It’s great reading!

The book that has got me highlighting, and scribbling in the margins is by Aaron Scharf entitled Art and Photography (Penguin Books, 1974). This is a book that I’ve been working at for some time as it’s slow reading. I keep re-reading passages and making written comments to myself on the pages. It’s the book I took with me this past weekend and it helps me think about the medium in new ways ( and old ways as well if I’m reading the book correctly).

This is another of the images I made during our respite at the Poconos.

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From time to time I will mention what reading material is on the bedside table. This is the stuff that fills my head before sleep. I sometimes read from two different books. Usually I start with some art-related book and end with some fiction writing.

Right now I have two books on the table, Creative Photography-Aesthetic Trends 1839-1960 by Helmut Gernsheim and Harry Potter - The Goblet of Fire. As far as I’m concerned, both of these books are about magic. The Gernsheim book is wonderfully written and has 244 photographs. It is both a historical perspective and an aesthetic analysis. The more I read about the history of photography and it’s continued impact on the art world, the more fascinated I become with both the process and the strong opinions that photography generates.

I’ve already read the other 5 Harry Potter books and am enjoying the 4th. Yea, I read them out of order. I confess to sometimes only reading a few pages a night because I know the story (having seen the movie, ok several times). The book is quite different though, and so in some sense new to me. The whole family is looking forward to book 7 and movie 5.

The Harry Potter books need no plug from me, but I really recommend the Gernsheim book which is somewhat of a classic. Either or both books are worthy of holding a place in your reading DEN.

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I start almost everyday at 6:30am, make coffee (Starbucks Mexico shade-grown blend), feed the cats, and read a magazine until 7:30am. One of the many mags on the reading pile is American Art Collector (www.AmericanArtCollector.com), which I really enjoy. This is a big magazine which seems to be influencing and moving the art market. The work they show is often phenomenal and the artist profiles are very insightful. I find it an inspiration to read about the artists’ motivations and informative to read the way they are presented. The magazine prides itself on not just presenting great art (mostly paintings and sculpture), but being a promoter and conduit for actually selling the work. I read it cover to cover every month and keep the issues. It’s a relatively new publication, but seemingly has attained a position of some prominence.

I also take a coffee break around 3:30pm for about an hour during which time I will be reading again. Of course the afternoon coffee may very likely contain a bit of Bailey’s (caramel flavor).

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