Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference.
Robert FrankRead
I have been frequently accused of deliberately twisting subject matter to my point of view. Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference. Opinion often consists of a kind of criticism. But criticism can come out of love.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the subjective nature of photography and criticism, highlighting that personal perspectives are essential in art.
Robert Frank conveys that being a photographer means engaging deeply with the subject matter and not remaining indifferent to it. He acknowledges that while opinions and interpretations can sometimes be seen as biased or twisted, they often come from a place of genuine affection or passion for the art, underscoring the importance of personal perspective in creative expression.
In practice
In a discussion about the nature of photography, this quote can illustrate the importance of personal perspective.
Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference.
Photography doesn't teach you to express your emotions; it teaches you how to see.
A man of eighty has outlived probably three new schools of painting, two of architecture and poetry and a hundred in dress.
There is an effective strategy open to architects. Whereas doctors deal with the interior organisms of man, architects deal with the exterior organisms of man. Architects might join with one another to carry on their work in laboratories as do doctors in anticipatory medicine.
Doctors can heal the body, but it is music that uplifts the spirit.
Sometimes I see it and then paint it. Other times I paint it and then see it. Both are impure situations, and I prefer neither.
If a man comes to the door of poetry untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman.
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