Page 51 - Studio International - November 1972

Wolf Vostell and Andy Warhol, transcend the the picture — not very self-consciously, it all
uniformity which might be expected of happened very spontaneously. But when I look
Polaroid photography with effects indicative of at it now, I think of it being a very Rosenquist
each person's idiosyncratic response to the kind of image, and technique even.'
potential of the medium. `Jasper Johns was very sure of the colour
The following comments by Hamilton on the quality that he wanted. I didn't realize that he
origin and the production of the book, and the could be so serious about it. I don't know that
responses of some of the artists involved, are we've got it exactly. I think the red should be
taken from a taped dialogue between Richard stronger. The photograph is a red, white and
Hamilton and myself: blue thing. It's like a flag, and I'm sure that he
`My awareness of the book as an art form was was thinking of it as being a pattern.'
provoked by people like Ed Ruscha, Dieter Rot, `The Francis Bacon photograph is very
Iain Baxter, Daniel Spoerri and Emmett reminiscent of his imagery but in fact this
Williams. I got around to it, as with most was something of an accident because he took
things, by deciding that since the form the photograph under rather difficult
existed I had to find the solution, my solution, conditions. We were having lunch at Robert
because all the paintings that I've done have Carrier and I took my camera along and asked
been done on the basis of looking first for the him to take a photograph of me, which he did
genre and then providing a solution to the while everybody was in the restaurant. I had to
genre, like self-portrait, still-life, landscape, sit on the floor because there wasn't enough light
pin-up, fashion plate and so on. All of these are where I happened to be sitting, and the light
large categories and I tend to think of a category, came from above so that I tended to hold my
an overall form, and then begin to work within head up to get the light on it which gives this
it. And I realized that there was a genre of the rather peculiar posture.
book which interested me very much and I saw `Dieter Rot's is a negative. He decided that he
Polaroid Portraits as my solution to that genre. would like to use the negative instead of the
`I had expected that the photographs would print. You usually peel off the negative and
be all very nondescript like snapshots because throw it away. The emulsion from the negative
there is virtually no control of the camera. You crosses over and goes on to the print, leaving
can focus it and you can vary the exposure the residue on the negative.
slightly but basically it is the simplest camera `I had intended initially to have a pair of
you can possibly get. All you can do is press the photographs, one with a work by the artist in it
button and point it. But as time went by I began and one without. But it wasn't always
to realize that there were differences, that the convenient and there didn't seem much point
personality of the person pointing the camera in it as time went by. Jim Dine photographed
did affect the photograph in a peculiar kind of me against his Christmas Tree because he had
way — I think because the people I chose are for made the decorations and he said that the tree
the most part visual artists and they have ideas was a work of art. George Brecht took a
about what they are pointing at. photograph of me with a ready-made work of
`Wolf Vostell, for instance, knew the camera art which he put together, but you can't really
well enough to know that it was capable of see it on the photograph. So it seemed a little
triple, even quadruple, exposure. So he started pointless to carry on with that pattern and I let
taking multiple exposures. Brigid Polk is an it break naturally.
absolute virtuoso with the Polaroid camera. `Claes Oldenburg first of all took some
Double exposures, in particular, she likes. The photographs of me with things that he
one that she made for this book is very associated with his own work. We were at a
carefully set up. To get that particular double place where there wasn't any work of his but
exposure required thinking of it in advance and where there were some things that he rather
getting her relation to the pair of figures right. liked, like a bear rug on the floor. And he made
`Jim Rosenquist immediately knew what he me sit on the bear rug, thinking about it, I
wanted to do with the camera. He photographed suppose, as being a soft sculpture. Then we
a reflection in a window at night, so that he got a went out into a garden which was pitch-black at
thing like a mirror. The exposure was very, very night and I lit a cigar with a match and he took a
long and he hand-held the camera as still as he photograph of me lighting my cigar. So the
could for something like a minute. He knew illumination of the photograph is just the
what the camera was capable of and he was match. He thought that was pretty remarkable
demonstrating with that photograph how you and so he said to use that.
could go on almost indefinitely holding the `It's not just the subject-matter of the book
camera and it would go on exposing as long as that is important but the way it is produced and
necessary on practically nothing. The window the quality of the printing. It must appeal for its
was almost pitch black, like a blackboard. In a quality as a book, its formal quality. I think that
peculiar kind of way, there is more information that aspect of it is satisfied by the technique.
in the photograph than there was in the subject. I find that people like the old-fashioned kind of
It is like a Rosenquist too. It has a lot of the craftsmanship, that that is an immediately
qualities — his interest in reflections and all that accessible thing. In the same way that
sort of quality — that excite him in his paintings. Hollywood films are well made in technical
And he managed to get these qualities across in terms, I would like to think that anything I do
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