man & nature # 106 ~ meaning heaped upon meaning
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 12:35PM 
No Littering and ice breakup • click to embiggenIt should come as no surprise that I am producing Things That Emerge From Under the Snow - the book. What the hell, I might even sign up for SoFoBoMo. Either way, the cover picture for the book is the one in today's entry - a picture that I took 2 weeks ago. It just seems entirely appropriate.
That said, I am disappointed in the lack of response to yesterday's question regarding the idea of seeing the Things That Emerge From Under the Snow pictures for what they really are. I was hoping for a discussion based upon your perceptions of what the pictures "really are about". It seemed to me that many of you would see them in variety of ways.
Steve Durbin took a crack at it and can't say that I disagree with his idea that for a number of reasons:
...a claim that these are primarily "nature pictures" won't find many adherents.
Of course, the case for seeing these pictures as nature pictures could certainly be bolstered by an Artist Statement that addresses the mixed nature of the pictures. And, in an effort to direct the viewer's attention to the nature picture qualities of the work, it is certainly my intent to do so in the book. At the very least, my intent is to encourage the viewer to entertain ideas - added meaning - beyond what most strikingly meets the eye which, without question, are the colorful human-discarded things.
Hugo takes a break from finding TTEFUTS • click to embiggenBut, if I really wanted to throw another meaning into the mix, I could legitimately title the book, A Late Winter Walk With My Grandson - complete with a picture of him on the cover.
Point in fact, I will never be able to disassociate these pictures from the memory of the wonderful time we spent together discovering Things That Emerge From Under the Snow. My intent is to hint at this added meaning by dedicating the book to him and our walk together.
And therein is a big part of this entry - a return to my notion that pictures + words are more often than not much more powerful than just pictures alone.
This notion is anathema to the a-picture-must-stand-alone crowd. A crowd, regarding which I feel compelled to mention, that is much given to the idea of accompanying their pictures with some of the most tortured titles (aka, words) imaginable. One could do a book with all of the loopy and cliched titles but, suffice it to say, ther rarely, if ever, let a picture go untitled (tortured or not).
However, they really seem to draw a deep line in the sand when it comes to the Artist Statement. The 2 most mentioned rationales for this are; 1) a picture that needs words is a failure, and 2) I want to let the viewer figure it out.
Rationale #1 is entirely understandable and I would not disagree very strenuously ... however, there is a vast difference between a picture that needs words and one which has its potential for expanded meaning enhanced with the use of words. That is not to say that an Artist Statement should tell the viewer what to think - rationale #2 - but a good Artist Statement gives the ideas of context and author's intent (which often must be inferred from the author's stated philosophies about picturing, the subject, and, at times, life in general) a valued place in the sun.
Personally, I have never read an Artist Statement that detracts from the meaning - or possible meaning(s) - of a body of work.
That said, if I really wanted to throw a meaning monkey wrench into mix regarding the Things That Emerge From Under the Snow pictures, I could title the book, A Late Winter Walk With My Grandson And The Wife Leaves Us On Our Own Because It Wasn't "Spinning Her Buttons".
Reader Comments (4)
Ah, now there's the thing. As I commented before, had i not read your words, your intent with this series would have been lost. With some words, it enables me to see them in another way. It may be entirely possible I still end up having a different take, but the words help open up more possibilities in images.
In that same way, a well directed title can be very powerful. "Untitled" allows unencumbered viewer determination but don't get upset if your audience takes away something different than intended.
"A Late Winter Walk With My Grandson" is a terrific title. Though an aging cynic might see only annoying litter to moan about in world weariness, I suspect for Hugo these are more likely to be seen as interesting and amusing discoveries, potentially even toys or props. Certainly small stuff that can be easily tossed in a bag (excepting the shovels), leaving, as you say, a patch of now drab ground that's just getting ready to wake up. If this is our worst impact on the environment, there may well be hope.
That said, I am disappointed in the lack of response to yesterday's question regarding the idea of seeing the Things That Emerge From Under the Snow pictures for what they really are. I was hoping for a discussion based upon your perceptions of what the pictures "really are about". It seemed to me that many of you would see them in variety of ways.
When I read your post yesterday (and re-reading it now) it seemed more like you were asking if your readers/viewers would have seen what you saw in your images - not asking what we thought the were about. Maybe it was the phrasing, but it seemed more of a question of validating the description you attached prior to that. You seemed to get a resounding 'hmm' in response, which might be an answer in itself.
On the idea of words and pictures, I never really bought into this notion that a picture has to stand alone. Sure a good picture should and can be a good picture without words, but there are few if any pictures that aren't enhanced with context, photographers thoughts, historical perspective and so on.
But then I like words too.