Baudelaire’s essay The Modern Public and Photography written in the form of a letter is an inflammatory diatribe against photography. His argument has an aggressively written tone, like its being spoken out loud in public to the public. “Now the French public, which, in the manner of mean little souls, is singularly incapable of feeling the joy of dreaming or of admiration, wants to have the thrill of surprise by means that are alien to art, and its obedient artists bow to the public’s taste; they aim to draw its attention, its surprise, stupefy it, by unworthy stratagems, because they know the public is incapable of deriving ecstasy from the natural means of true art.” In Baudelaire’s eyes the public is so dumb and uncultured that it can be fooled by the fancy toys and tricks of technology. He claims that artist believes the best way to get ahead is to give the public what it desires which is dumb flashy photography. Baudelaire envisions a world made dumber by technology because as artists bend toward the dumb public, the dumb public raises dumber artists. “It was not long before thousands of pairs of greedy eyes were glued to the peepholes of the stereoscope, as though they were the skylights of the infinite.” Industry follows artists, public follows industry and produces artists, and artists start the cycle. Baudelaire does see one use for photography though, as documentation. “Let it save crumbling ruins form oblivion, books, engravings, and manuscripts, the prey of time, all those precious things, vowed to dissolution, which crave a place in the archives of memories; in all these things, photography will deserve our thanks and applause.” Photography’s biggest strength is the ability to capture true space very quickly, which gives it the unique ability to expand the historic and cultural consciousness. Outrageously, divisively, Baudelaire predicted photography’s cumulative expansion, and worried openly for intellect of the public and consequently the future and role of art and artists.
I can not figure out how to make a regular post.
ReplyDeleteBaudelaire’s essay The Modern Public and Photography written in the form of a letter is an inflammatory diatribe against photography. His argument has an aggressively written tone, like its being spoken out loud in public to the public. “Now the French public, which, in the manner of mean little souls, is singularly incapable of feeling the joy of dreaming or of admiration, wants to have the thrill of surprise by means that are alien to art, and its obedient artists bow to the public’s taste; they aim to draw its attention, its surprise, stupefy it, by unworthy stratagems, because they know the public is incapable of deriving ecstasy from the natural means of true art.” In Baudelaire’s eyes the public is so dumb and uncultured that it can be fooled by the fancy toys and tricks of technology. He claims that artist believes the best way to get ahead is to give the public what it desires which is dumb flashy photography. Baudelaire envisions a world made dumber by technology because as artists bend toward the dumb public, the dumb public raises dumber artists. “It was not long before thousands of pairs of greedy eyes were glued to the peepholes of the stereoscope, as though they were the skylights of the infinite.” Industry follows artists, public follows industry and produces artists, and artists start the cycle. Baudelaire does see one use for photography though, as documentation. “Let it save crumbling ruins form oblivion, books, engravings, and manuscripts, the prey of time, all those precious things, vowed to dissolution, which crave a place in the archives of memories; in all these things, photography will deserve our thanks and applause.” Photography’s biggest strength is the ability to capture true space very quickly, which gives it the unique ability to expand the historic and cultural consciousness. Outrageously, divisively, Baudelaire predicted photography’s cumulative expansion, and worried openly for intellect of the public and consequently the future and role of art and artists.
yaay
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