writing about art (same as writing about photos).

https://mailchi.mp/7cb5da4e28e1/why-critical-writing-matters?e=6913cb1063

This discusses critical writing in The Magazine: a large, monthly high quality, full color arts magazine that's available for free all over Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Magazine seems the ideal publication for artists/photographers, enthusiasts and collectors who live within driving distance from Santa Fe...or are among the throngs who travel there from afar to see what's going on in America's most overtly art-oriented city.

The Magazine is about much more than photography...I enjoy reading well-written articles about all sorts of arts and artists in fields about which I'd know little otherwise.

Santa Fe enjoys several nationally famous photo galleries, a couple of high-level photo supply companies, and many photographers who attend long, expensive seminars conducted by big-name photographers.

I wonder what you think about the editor's explanation for total absence of "attaboys" and occasional tough or conflicted reviews.

 

Maybe. But there's no such thing as objectivity or lack of prejudice. IMO many critics (not the Photrio kind) contribute to viewers' or readers' understanding and appreciation. For example, Anthony Burgess opened doors to both Shakespeare and James Joyce for many by writing about their work.

People who damn critics as a category almost always do it to seek approval...examples on this thread.

 

Great photo!

Why would you bother to write to Coleman? Did he dislike your work? Did you follow his writing? I never did like anything about his work EXCEPT that he did get a lot of people talking about photography. Not on my West Coast, BTW...he was mostly an East Coast kind of guy.

He's a very obscure reference btw, dead for a thousand years. By posting about him you undoubtedly got a lot of people Googling for him

 

Some critics are insightful, some carry on with jargon that is probably meaningful mostly to themselves. No problem either way. There's usually something to learn.

I was too dismissive of A.D. Coleman. Some photographers did appreciate him, some took him too seriously.

When I came across him in someone's Village Voice it seemed clear that he wasn't tuned into West Coast photography and was totally unaware of the kind of photographers who, like me, we're making livings with photo while, at the same time were deep into the art...who didn't do drone work (weren't anyone's employees) in order to support our art but in fact worked free lance for design an advertising people who often shared our approach to life. I think that, for people like us, A.D. Coleman may have been a minor Woody Allen..