Page 24 - Studio International - July August 1975

The Photographer as Artist

a turn of the century debate Michael Hiley

A door marked 'Photographer's photography whilst at the same time and artistic aspirations in mind, how
Studio' opens. Three young men enter, undermining the position of traditional ironic it is that for the first 5o years of its
smoking, and are confronted by a representational painting, effectively existence photography busied itself with
photographer who, striking a pose and stands between the two parties. The the production of carte-de-visite
confiscating one of the offending cigars, conflict which underlies the cartoon is photographs.
announces No smoking here, sir!' The one concerned with status and The relationship between photography
first young man (who is in fact George acceptance. Photography has rarely, if and painting over the past 15o years has
Du Maurier, with his friends James ever, been able to break free from its been seen by some as one of conflict
McNeill Whistler and T. R. Lamont yearnings for acceptance. Forced by brought about by the similarities
behind him) begins to make apologies circumstance into the role of the youthful, between the ambitions and the
but is cut short by the photographer who interloping outsider, it has always achievements of the two media. But the
interrupts 'with dignified severity', to fervently wanted to be welcomed as a reactions of many artists and critics to
quote the original Punch caption, 1 and respectable acquaintance fit to rub photography were distorted by a lack of
attempts to put them in their place : shoulders with the older, established understanding of this new process of
`Please to remember, gentlemen, that visual arts which were, thankfully, free image-making. The American
this is not a Common Hartist's studio!' from the sense of inferiority that photographer Edward Steichen told the
The three young men, 'who are Common caused some ambitious but misguided story of a landscape painter, famous in
Artists, feel shut up by this little photographers to suffer agonies in the Milwaukee, who was admired for the way
aristocratic distinction, which had not yet nineteenth century. The photographer's he painted trees. A young lady went up
occurred to them'. The confrontation pretensions picked out in the cartoon to him at one of his exhibitions and
between photographer and common bring to mind Lady Bracknell's exclaimed 'Oh, Mr Viandon, you paint
artists is observed by the huge blank eye strictures in The Importance of Being such wonderful trees. What is your
of the camera which stands in the Earnest: 'Never speak disrespectfully of secret ?' The painter replied: 'Secret ? Vat
background. This apparatus, which Society, Algernon. Only people who is a tree ? A tree is one hundred t'ousand
produced the disputed 'art' of can't get into it do that'. With its social leaves. You paint one hundred
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