It was last Wednesday in my last entry that I promised a next day entry, re: why the 2 pictures in that entry incited different reactions from a viewer thereof. That promised entry didn't happen as the result of a 4 day hockey tournament trip to the Boston area. So here is the promised entry albeit 5 days late and a dollar short.
Re: the 2 picitres in this entry - I stand by my statement in the aforementioned entry. iMo, these 2 pictures incite a different reaction in the viewers thereof. My reason for that belief:
A viewer, when confronted by the top picture on a gallery wall (or, for that matter, on a wall in my home) would typically react to the picture by searching for the picture's meaning. After all, it must have meaning inasmuch as it's hanging on a gallery wall so it must be "serious" work / ART and all ART has meaning. Therefore, the picture must be taken seriously.
Whereas the the new snapshot version of the same referent, when viewed in a photo album or even on a wall in my home, would typically be perceived as a memento of a personal experience such as something seen on a trip or a wander around town. The viewer would have a "relaxed" approach to viewing the picture. After all, it's just a snaphot. There is no meaning to be deciphered inasmuch as it's just a picture of what is depicted.
So, my point is quite simple. A viewer in a gallery assumes that a picture was made for reasons beyond what it depicts. While he/she might have an interest in what is depicted, he/she is most likely looking to see something more than that - interesting / involving visual qualities and characteristics (indepent of the depicted referent) which, when seen in a picture, transport the picture into the realm of ART.
In the case of a snapshot, a viewer looks at the thing depicted and therein is their interest, or lack thereof, in the picture. The question, why did you take a picture of that?, might arise but rarely is there a conversation, re: the pictures's ART-istic merits.
Not wishing to make a promise I might not keep, I won't promise an entry tomorrow which explains why I am making the new snapshot pictures. It's my intention to do so but .....
