It was good to have such an eclectic mix of images. I past by the Art School images fairly quickly: they tell me a lot more about the person behind the camera than what is being pictured, and to be honest I’m too old and I’ve seen too many introspective images to be that interested now. But I do like to see the work of young photographers who have matured enough to be telling me truths about the wider world.
I finally made it, on the very last day, to the exhibition and sale of Edward Weston prints at the Chris Beetles Gallery in London. I’ve admired Weston’s work, especially his landscapes and still lifes, for a long time. I used to admire Ansel Adams’ landscapes even more than Weston’s but, whereas I now see AA’s work as a little sentimental, pastoral and clichéd, I have retained my admiration for some, though not all of Weston’s. Like most people, I am familiar with their work from books. Although I have seen some originals by Adams I don’t think I’ve ever seen originals of Weston’s; the prints in this exhibition are from the original EW negatives but printed by his son Cole, which means they are pretty close to EW’s vision and good enough for me!
LESSON 1: books and original prints are different. Printing technology has improved tremendously in the last 20 years and the quality achieved in the best books is superb but there is still something about the quality of the blacks in a fine silver gelatin print that isn’t quite achieved in any book. But that’s getting picky: for me the real difference is in looking, really looking, at a print in isolation that brings out layers of detail and meaning that I don’t see when looking at a book. Perhaps it is the shear number of pictures I am presented with in a book that dilutes the impact, or maybe I’m like a kid in a sweet shop, turning the pages too quickly. Note to self – take longer to look!
My own opinion is that removing the horizon strengthens the image and makes it more abstract, which I prefer. But then it’s no longer an Edward Weston photograph.