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Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#11

Post by alexophile »

rythie wrote: post #8
edw519 wrote: post #7

Maier was untrained, but her images are artfully framed and detailed So much has been accomplished by those who were "untrained, but". I wonder if that says as much about the training as it does about the accomplishments.

I don't think you can really train someone to be an artist or be creative anyway.

Disagreed. I think everyone has the potential for creativity, it just gets scared out of us as we grow up. Teaching someone to paint or take well-structured photographs is pretty much trivial as long as they put in the effort. And once you give somebody a tool to adequately express the way they see the world, most can barely help but be creative.

Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#13

Post by Tycho »

pavlov wrote: post #12
Tycho wrote: post #10

What's the point of photographs like this though? (philosophical question)

What's the point of philosophy? (photographical question)

I just said 'philosphical question' so I wouldn't get downvoted for sounding cynical.

Are you saying it is impossible to verbalize the 'point' of photography?

Regardless, sometimes photographs capture remarkable events or spectacular scenes, in which cases the point could be easily understood as 'seeing things you would have liked to have seen but didn't get the chance'

Now in this here collection, almost all the photos are just of strangers on the street. Something you can see everyday with your own eyes. So what is the point?

Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#14

Post by jonsen »

edw519 wrote: post #7

Maier was untrained, but her images are artfully framed and detailed So much has been accomplished by those who were "untrained, but". I wonder if that says as much about the training as it does about the accomplishments.

It reminds me of the sculptor who said that he wasn't making the sculpture. "It's already in there. I'm just removing excess material."

Sometimes I feel that our brains are like that. That some of our abilities are inherent. They just have to be set free.

Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#15

Post by mechanical_fish »

Tycho wrote: post #13
pavlov wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the point of philosophy? (photographical question)

I just said 'philosphical question' so I wouldn't get downvoted for sounding cynical. Are you saying it is impossible to verbalize the 'point' of photography? Regardless, sometimes photographs capture remarkable events or spectacular scenes, in which cases the point could be easily understood as 'seeing things you would have liked to have seen but didn't get the chance' Now in this here collection, almost all the pho…

There are ten thousand answers to your question, but here's the most drab and pedantic of them: No, I absolutely cannot walk out onto the street and see a scene from the 1960s.

There was a fun essay once where someone pointed out the value of photographing everyday objects. Tools, cars, clothes. These are the things that you'll most wish you'd photographed, because they are the most ephemeral. The Grand Canyon looks much as it did in Ansel Adams' day. People look only a bit different than they used to. But the objects are gone. The streets and the buildings are gone.

Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#18

Post by js2 »

I submitted this last week but it didn't get any traction:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095598

John Maloof, a 29-year-old eBay entrepreneur and real estate agent, is now principal cheerleader in the effort to find a niche for Ms. Maier at the pantheon of modern photography. He is only about one-tenth of the way into the task of scanning and archiving 100,000 negatives of hers in his possession, working with his friend Anthony Rydzon. And they have yet to develop several hundred rolls of black-and-white film and about 600 color rolls.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/new-street-photogra...

The photos are truly extraordinary.

Watch this terrific segment too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWEDOnBfDUI

And for those of you fortunate enough to reside in Chicago - http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/event_la...

Re: Vivian Maier: A life's work seen for first time

#19

Post by ja27 »

In other discussions I've seen people raise the copyright issues. Her estate owns the rights to these works, not John Maloof. But I don't think anyone except her heirs or other beneficiaries would have standing to sue him. They're either non-existent (she had no known children) or not interested. I'm afraid that won't stop people from causing problems for him once there's money involved.
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