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When Photography Becomes Art
Because of the high proliferation of cameras in our culture today, one might guess that the majority of camera owners simply want to capture a memory while a small few have specifically purchased a camera to create art. It is this small minority of photographers that mark the line of delineation of photography as art. They start out with the intention of not only capturing a memory but translating some thought or emotion, telling a story or elucidating some overlooked beauty.
When looking at the work of several artist photographers such as Jonathan Hicks, Saddi Khali and Gus Bennett Jr., although their styles are very different, one begins to see a familiar thread running through them all. Each photographer is able to somehow permeate the psyche of the figure and in turn elucidate that message to the viewer.
Photographer Jonathan Hicks whose works I have become intimately familiar with over the past few months, have simplified the notion of photography as high art. His work not only poses emotions and sentiments that are often unexplainable in words, he also uses photography to tell stories -stories about the past of racial identity, the present. His work even causes dialogues about the future of racial identity. Because his art is approached with so much clarity and focus, the artist is able to translate the mental anguish and pain of the figure in the pictures, which in his current body of work happens to be the artist himself.. When photography is approached from his standpoint and causes viewers to reflect, to ask questions, to ponder different realities than their own. It is indeed fine art!
The same can be said of photographer Saddi Khali. When viewing his work, I am immediately transported to thoughts of black beauty, to questions about nudity and lasciviousness in our culture and in our world. His work also evokes several other serious conversations regarding his use of color, style, viewpoint and the list goes on and on. Although his images aptly record a time when black beauty is seeing an emergence of celebrations, it is without a doubt that this artist has set out to capture more than a moment, he has set out to capture the spirit of women, their hearts, their souls, their insecurities and their courage. He has a gift for photography a gift that surely moves his work from just photography to fine art.
The work of Gus Bennett Jr. also brilliantly translates the psyches of his figures. Often the messages are much more subdued as the images are first regarded as regal figures posed for a camera. Bennett is a master of using clues such as body language, gazes and the fusion of other imagery into his photography to convey his often lofty messages. He moves beyond the time in his studio with the model to infusing various types of texture and iconography to evoke a sense of familiarity with the viewer.
All three photographers above have something special. They use photography to communicate, to cause dialogue, to evoke a sense of nostalgia that can be felt by more than just those familiar with the figures – but in essence with humanity. When an artist photographer applies these skills to their approach, to their work it is at that point that photography becomes fine art!
Discussion Forum
Preserving the African American Canon
Started by Natalie Collins. Last reply by Winston Kennedy Mar 16. 3 Replies 1 Like
Yesterday, I attended a Memorial service for Varnette Honeywood at the Watts Towers Art Center in Los Angeles. This was a monumental experience for me on several accounts, the first reason being it…Continue
Mystery Painting found in Berkeley, CA
Started by Myesha Francis. Last reply by Winston Kennedy Mar 13. 11 Replies 0 Likes
I have been presented with many works of art that people have found in attics while restoring houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina, collections that have just been stored away in garages until…Continue
A Previously Unknown Black Artist of the 19th Century?
Started by Darryl Love. Last reply by Kyra Jan 28. 2 Replies 0 Likes
I need a little help from some of the black art historians out there. The artist in question is Cyrus Leroy Baldridge (1899 - 1976). I did some cursory research and found out that Baldridge was…Continue
Remembering Dr. Burroughs - What are your fond memories?
Started by Myesha Francis Nov 22, 2010. 0 Replies 0 Likes
It is 3:30 a.m. and I feel a nudge in me to reflect on the life and contributions of Dr. Margaret Burroughs. She passed yesterday – the founder of the Du Sable Museum- the first African American…Continue
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Comment by Chi-Chi on March 3, 2012 at 11:10am -
Greetings,
Is anyone out there interested in Black Memorabilia, the positive image kind? There is a wonderful collection of Black Emphera which includes signed playbills from Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey, a placemat from Joe Frazier's Resturant in Philly, Posters/handbills from August Wilson's Play The Piano Lesson, and more that is looking for a new home. Part of this ephmera was aquired by Temple University for their Blockson Collection. I have a list of the remaining items if anyone is interested in aquiring memorabilia for their collections. Also some items are being sold on Etsy.com in the Chihuahua Snaps shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChihuahuaSnaps?ref=ss_profile
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Comment by Edwin Boone on October 28, 2011 at 3:25pm -
Looking for new members for the group "New York Black Artists."
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Comment by Edwin Boone on August 6, 2011 at 3:03pm
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I am trying to compile a list of Black Artist that teach from their studio or at a school that offers Continuing Education Art Courses. The list is for the group "Realism in Black Art." If you can help, please forward their information for posting.
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Comment by F. Geoffrey Johnson on January 24, 2011 at 12:23pm -
Will we, as an elite, art-aware group, ever transcend separatism?
Dealing with the present and the reality of the "now", we have not.
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Comment by Margaret Rose Vendryes on January 24, 2011 at 11:35am -
Are there any among us who collect art regardless of the artist's ethnic or cultural affiliation because the work speaks to us. As a scholar, historian and artist, I continue to appreciate, and then struggle with, the existence of, and need for, separate spheres that highlight difference in order to invite due recognition. However, in my small way as a collector, I have all types of artists represented in my collection even as I have centered my writing and painting on the African Diaspora. Will we, as an elite, art-aware group, ever transcend separatism?
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Comment by Myesha Francis on November 22, 2010 at 6:12am -
Remembering Dr. Burroughs
It is 3:30 a.m. and I feel a nudge in me to reflect on the life and contributions of Dr. Margaret Burroughs. She passed yesterday – the founder of the Du Sable Museum- the first African American Museum in the United States of America. Wow! It is undeniable what she has meant to us and what we do as artists, as museum professionals, as art historians, as students and friends of the arts! She dared allowed us to dream and to understand that our work is important, that it should be documented and that we should continue to create, because someone cares and even further, there is an institution that there IS and institution that cares! It is without a doubt that the DuSable Museum inspired the creation of many other African American museums across the nation and continues to trail blaze in this decade!
I have a few fond memories of Dr. Burroughs and each time, she left an indelible impression upon me and my life. I remember someone telling me how old she was and I remember thinking – Impossible! - She was so spunky, she lived with a fervor and zest that I am hard pressed to find even among those my age (31). Just last year, I had the pleasure of receiving the Burroughs Wright Fellowship from the Association of African American Museums. I sat next to Dr. Wright throughout the session and I was intrigued! She listened intently and I could tell that she missed very little. Once I came down from the podium after saying a few words of thanks. She said to me “You go to school in New Orleans?” and I said “yes mam.” After saying a few words of encouragement, she then slips me a card and a book of her poetry with her number on it and said “Invite me down sometime, I’d love to come.” I’m thinking to myself “now this is life!” A life so filled with passion, that age, time or distance, seemed to matter as long as she was able to do what she loved. And I loved it! I thought she was an amazing, never pretentious, never fussy, extraordinary woman!
My only regret is that after that last time, I never physically saw her again. And so it is, that on a sleepless night like tonight, I sit and I reflect on exactly what life is about. Dr. Burrouhgs is an amazing example of a passionate and purposeful life. We should all be encouraged to dream and most of all – to live!
We miss you Dr. Burroughs!
Please share your thoughts and memories of Dr. Burroughs!
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Comment by James Amos Porter (1905-1970) on November 16, 2010 at 2:18pm -
SAVE THE DATE: JAMES A. PORTER COLLOQUIUM ON AFRICAN AMERICAN ART, APRIL 7-8, 2011 ORGANIZED BY THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEPT OF ART, WASHINGTON,D.C.
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Comment by Kat Tshifunda on October 29, 2010 at 7:27pm -
At Brookyn Museum, African-American Artworks Pre-1945
By CAROL VOGEL
Published: October 21, 2010
For the last decade the Brooklyn Museum has been actively acquiring work by contemporary African-American artists. Now curators there have started to look back in time. This week the museum announced it was embarking on a new collecting initiative focusing on the work of African-American artists from the mid-19th century to 1945, so that visitors can get a more complete picture of where contemporary artists like Rashid Johnson, Adrian Piper, Lorna Simpson and Kara Walker looked for inspiration.
“A lot of these older works are by artists many people have never heard of,” said Arnold L. Lehman, director of the museum. “Yet there are many contemporary black artists looking back at their predecessors.”
The institution has set a three-year goal for the project, aiming to raise $500,000 for a dedicated purchase fund. It has already received $100,000 from Saundra Williams-Cornwell, a trustee, and her husband, W. Don Cornwell, as well as $100,000 more promised by the Cornwells as a matching grant. Another trustee, Charlynn Goins, and her husband, Warren, have promised a gift of a painting: “Dream of Arcadia After Thomas Cole,” an 1852 landscape by Robert S. Duncanson.
“Forty-five percent of our audience are people of color,” Mr. Lehman said. “While we are doing this from a curatorial point of view, it does reflect what our visitors expect when they come to the museum.”
Since the 1940s the Brooklyn Museum has been a showcase for African-American art, starting with its landmark exhibition “The Negro Artist Comes of Age.” It has also organized several monographic exhibitions by artists like Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Martin Puryear and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Mr. Lehman said that while there were no planned exhibitions of this work right now, the curators were working on developing a program of shows.
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Comment by Kat Tshifunda on October 29, 2010 at 7:24pm
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Schomburg Center in Harlem Acquires Maya Angelou Archive
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/arts/design/27archive.html?_r=1&a...
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Comment by Kat Tshifunda on October 29, 2010 at 7:17pm
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