*caseyboy

Casey

A Quote by Pablo Picasso

Fri Nov 23, 2007, 7:30 PM

Mood: Confused

Hello hello.

I just found this quote right now and I am simply blown away by it...

"I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn."
-Pablo Picasso

I don't know much about Picasso, but I wonder of the reasons behind this quote. Was he against photography? I'm thinking that he may be referring to a lack of technique, skill and talent that may be associated with taking a photograph. Maybe spending the time painting something has more to offer than than just acrylics and oils on a canvas. Is there more to a painter than there is to a photographer? Or are all artists unique in their own ways? I can understand that a painter can have a much deeper emotional connection to their work than a photographer considering how much diligence and time it takes to finish a true work of art. Maybe he felt that photography was like a painter's way of cheating. Instead of spending the time to paint something, we quickly take a snapshot of, whatever. Anyone can paint, but not everyone can paint.

I don't know...this quote is confusing to me.

It reminds me of how some people love film photography and others love digital photography. Many of us probably have an in-group photography bias.

I personally think that photography and painting are completely different mediums of art. I love photography and I respect painters. I don't think that photography has destroyed paintings, oh no not at all! The camera doesn't make art, the photographer does. Anyone can take a photograph, but not everyone can take a photograph.

The more I think about it, it seems like there is something spiritual about painting.

What do you guys think about this whole thing?!?!

-Casey

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~some-art-bum

Nov 23, 2007, 7:38:47 PM

According to a biography I read once, Picasso didn't consider people an artist unless they could paint. However, this was on the Internet, so take it with a grain of salt.

Photography can be as much an art as any other, and if you take formal classes the teaching methods are not that much different at all. Even between photography and painting. To take a photograph you still have to consider the same elements of art you do in a painting, you are simply limiting yourself to structures that already exist (unless you're setting up a still-life to photograph . . . ).

*laughs* Am I even making any sense?

--

~some-art-bum

~l-g-h

~ThisIsMyKoolioName

Nov 23, 2007, 7:45:36 PM

Saying that all painters are deeper might be a kind of stereotype. There are probably some painters out there who are not deep at all and simply do it for other reasons. Also not all photographers are deep, but there are a few who are. I think that it is all just the passion of the artist; whether they photograph, paint, or even perform music. His quote confuses me as well though. I am trying to find the meaning behind what he said, but it just isn't coming at the moment.

And, this is one of the best journals I've ever read. So I thank you.

~artgyrl

Nov 24, 2007, 11:44:55 AM

I agree with your idea that anyone can paint/take a photograph, but now every one can paint/photograph.

I minored in photography in college, and believe me, there's definitely more to it than just clicking the shutter. One has to consider lighting and apertures and what type of lens to use. . . The art photographer is creating a scene and controlling the elements in the shot, and this can take a lot of time. Then there's printing the image, which becomes and art in itself, and it's tactile nature is comparable to painting.

--
"Once you draw someone you will always look at that person in a differently light, maybe with more honesty." —`nimra

artgyrl.com | blog

~lilyamidthorns26

Nov 24, 2007, 11:53:05 AM

Hello there

Wonderful journal entry. You are making us think more deeply, eh ?

One thing I have learned from my time here at dA is that photography can indeed be art. It is just a different means of expression, and that is really what art is all about. I particularly liked your final statement, "Anyone can take a photograph, but not everyone can take a photograph." Well said

I think the camera
as we know it was still fairly new technology during Picasso's early lifetime, so perhaps he felt it would take away something from painting. There is indeed something deeper, or "spiritual" as you said, but I think photography has that too to some extent.

Hmm, indeed, this could prove to be a mind-bender

Cheers

--
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes"

~Marcel Proust
French novelist (1871 - 1922)

*caseyboy

Nov 27, 2007, 4:43:28 PM

thanks for the comment! My stepbrother looked in to this and found that: In 1901, Picasso was given a camera from his friend. Ironically, the lens of the camera was broken. So when Picasso took pictures everything was all distorted!!! Historians believed this to be a major influence in his unique style of painting.

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-Casey Arakawa

*caseyboy

Nov 27, 2007, 4:45:24 PM

Hey Casey!!! My stepbrother looked in to this and found that: In 1901, Picasso was given a camera from his friend. Ironically, the lens of the camera was broken. So when Picasso took pictures everything was all distorted!!! Historians believed this to be a major influence in his unique style of painting.

The more I think about it, I think that it is just insane that picasso had a broken camera that he loved!!! He probably thought one day, "Hmmm...maybe I'll paint this way!"

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-Casey Arakawa

*caseyboy

Nov 27, 2007, 4:46:50 PM

Indeed hello there! It's awesome to see some of the same people commenting on my photos and in my journal! OH! IT JUST WARMS MY HEART! Anyway...here is my copied & pasted explanation:

My stepbrother looked in to this and found that: In 1901, Picasso was given a camera from his friend. Ironically, the lens of the camera was broken. So when Picasso took pictures everything was all distorted!!! Historians believed this to be a major influence in his unique style of painting!!!!

-Casey

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-Casey Arakawa