Marius De Zayas(1880-1961). “Photography is not art, but can be made to be art”.

What did he mean by this? At first read I was affronted by this statement however reading on I got to understand De Zayas thoughts and found myself seeing my photography thought process in his work.

This essay comes from a piece he wrote for issue 41 of Stieglitz led magazine Camera Work in 1913.

De Zayas was allied to Gallery 291 in New York this gallery is so named as it was on 5th Avenue in New York at number 291. It was know as the little galleries of the phot secession. Stieglitz created and managed this gallery.

After reading the essay I understood that De Zayas was saying there are two types of photography, 1 Photography and Art Photography.

I shall consider the two, first Photography. This shows form in its true state, the camera is placed in front of the subject and it records what it sees. You could say it is showing knowledge. The photograph is mainly produced right in camera. Little alteration in post processing.

Secondly Art photography, this show different conceptions of form. The truth(subject) is their but you have to work a little harder to understand what is being shown. Form is suggested to you. You may need more research to help you think, see and understand. This type of photo is for pleasure.

This thought process was evident in John Szarkowski exhibition Window and Mirrors when he explored truth and manipulated photographs in 1970s art.

Both work and neither is over the other, I use both to show my work to my viewers.

When De Zayas says “The first is the fixing of an actual state of Form, the other is the representation of the objectivity of Form.” It makes me think of rock art I have seen. Both are depicting the form of man however one shows the form in a straight here’s a man way. Whilst the second shows the impression we leave if we blow pigment on our hand. The shape is left behind but I know both are showing a human.

My thoughts on this are confirmed later in the work when the writer says this “Subjectivity is a natural characteristic of man. Representation began by the simple expression of the subject. In the development of the evolution of representation, man has been slowly approaching the object. The History of Art proves this statement”.

Both are photography both can be art, a camera is only an instrument like a twig dipped in pigment.