CRITICAL REVIEW

LANDSCAPE: TWO

FIGURE A: Sebastiao Salgado

image from Genesis series

FIGURE B: Sebastiao Salgado image

from Migration series

We all have our own conceptions of what a landscape is and what a landscape
photograph should look like. A clichd landscape picture is that of an isolated
tree in a field with the wind blowing the grass. However, if you really start to look
into the subject and you open your mind and imagination you can learn how
extensive landscape photography really can be and the power it can hold in the
right hands.
There are many photographers that believe in using their landscape photography
to tell a story, send a message, make a statement, share knowledge and even
for some, make a difference; but is it important how this is delivered? Does it
really make any difference how the photographer captures the viewer as long as
it works? Will one technique work as successfully as the other and is there a line
that shouldnt be crossed? I aim to shed light on these questions throughout this
review.
Firstly, making a photograph aesthetically beautiful can reach a large number of
people and will potentially spread a message far and wide. However, many
people might consider it immoral to treat important and thought provoking
moments in a clich manner. It is possible that beauty can distract from a
message, and a photograph will become nothing more than a pretty picture to
the viewer.
As written by Francis Hodgon, Photographs are not made just to be seen, they
are made to be thought about (On Clichs/ Conscientious Photography
Magazine, 5 October 2015). I argue that it can be difficult to reach everyone with
a single photograph, but techniques that display aesthetic beauty and those that
send strong messages have their place, and both are capable of captivating
large audiences. The success of a single photograph can depend on the opinion
of the viewer as much as the photographers themselves - Blaise Pascal once
observed that peoplearrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the
basis of what they find attractive. (Blaise Pascal The Art of Persuasion)
Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review

I believe that it is important to bear in mind that not every viewer is willing to be
challenged and not everyone is capable of being challenged and reacting to it
with intrigue. However, with the right technique, breaking outside of the box can
be successful, and the classic beauty factor can be avoided without being
noticed by the viewer.
The French street artist/photographer, JR, provides striking examples of
photographs that lack aesthetic beauty but deliver strong messages. JR, uses his
camera in an extraordinary way, his work isnt displayed in traditional settings or
his photographs traditional landscapes; Jr uses the landscape as his gallery and
the people within it as his subjects. For example, the photographs below were
taken by JR, forming a series called women are heros (IMAGE C). It is a powerful
approach about the dead and the abused, without one picture to show it
happening or even evidence that it did. The faces of the women it has affected
are displayed on their homes within the landscape in which the events took
place. This picture is capable of invoking thought without being blatant or gory.

IMAGE C: JR Street Installation from Women

are Heros Brazil 2008

In stark contrast, photographers Luc Delahaye (former Magnum photographer)

and Robert Capa both take graphic photographs as a way of captivating viewers
in a more blatant form. For example, Luc Delahaye is known for transitioning
from the photography world to the art one with a graphic photograph of a dead
Taliban soldier. Similarly, Robert Capa took photographs of a falling soldier as
he was shot, as he was dying in 1936, called Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment
of Death in the Spanish Civil War.

Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review

These two photographers are not alone in capturing deaths under horrific
circumstances. They are examples of moments that are difficult to capture with
traditional beauty. However, for some audiences death is an immoral moment to
capture and they can struggle with the way it is presented. For some people,
viewing these circumstances through JRs eyes is more visually appealing,
whereby powerful imaginative imagery is used to invoke thought without the
shock factor.
Harrowing photographs do not inevitably lose their power to shock. But they
are not much help if the task is to understand. Narratives can make us
understand. Photographs do something else: they haunt us. (Susan Sontag
Regarding the pain of others)
It is perhaps the lack of context, that leads to bewilderment in some viewers of
Luc Delahayes and Robert Capas work. If one could see armies surrounding
each man, or where it was this was taking place, then these images could help to
tell the story. However, nothing but one fallen or falling soldier can be seen and
that can lead to perplexity. From the eyes of a different viewer, that could be the
very point of such a photograph, that these men, at the end of their lives are
facing this alone with just the surroundings they are fighting for. Although I see a
difference between the two images the Taliban soldier is Art and the Spanish
soldier is one of reportage - both are real life occurrences that could divide the
opinions of an audience. These photographs are not typically made to hang
above a fireplace, and therefore make no attempt to try to fit into the mould of
classic beauty.
A more subtle or softer form of photography, that could be thought of as more
pleasing to the eye, is to provide the sense that everyday people have captured
the images. Capturing the happenings of a real life event in an ordinary manner
(as if taken by a disposable camera, for example) by anyone, not necessarily a
photographer, is a style that is coveted by many. It is possible to use this
method to deliver beauty alongside a powerful message. A good example is an
exhibition named here is New York A democracy of Photography. On 9/11 when
the twin towers and New York itself was under attack, thousands of people who
couldnt believe what they were seeing took out their cameras and phones and
started recording their history. These historians came in different ages and
professions and all of their images were different, capturing a part of their home
in this state of panic that no one else could see from where they stood. A call
was put out to all that had captured these dark moments, for their images.
Within a few weeks, thousands had been submitted and everyone had at least
one image chosen, a product of their witnessing within their landscape. The
exhibition is as real life as it could ever get.

Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review

IMAGE D: HERE IS NEW YORK A DEMOCRACY OF

PHOTOGRAPHY An image showing the layout of
exhibition

The following quotes capture the purpose of such an exhibition:

The organizing idea, the moment, the place, and the devoted public made this
exhibition something of an exception. (Susan Sontag Regarding the Pain of
Others)
By flying low, artistically speaking, such pictures are thought to be less
manipulative all widely distributed images of suffering now stand under that
suspicion and less likely to arouse facile compassion or identification.
The less polished pictures are not only welcomed as possessing special kinds of
authenticity. Some may compete with the best, so permissive are the standards
for a memorable, eloquent picture. (Susan Sontag: Regarding the Pain of
Others).
Another contrast to some of the photographic styles described above, is the work
of Salgados in Migration. He captures (at times) horrific scenes that are seen as
pretty in their style. In the series Migration taken by Salgado, a window is
offered to us to recognise what is going on in the world outside of what we know
to be our reality, so much that the modern population does not know or
understand that this kind of living is still a part of our world. This series sends the
message that even if we hear of it every day via T.V, radio and papers, we dont
actually know what other people are going through. In his Genesis series he
travelled to the ends of the earth to capture parts of our planet that have been
untouched by the modern world. They are, without a doubt (whether you are a
fan or not), breath taking and faultless. This had one main aim and that was to
share what there was away from our doorstep, the wonders our planet still has.
He shows that being in the most beautiful destinations calls for the scene to be
considered and captured to its highest potential.
Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review

In an interview with Sebastiao Salgado by Larry Rohter, when confronted with the
viewpoint that his images are too pretty in their portrayal of horrible things,
Sebastiao Salgado replied Its not my problem. I cant do what I do in any other
way. Once I was talking with (Gabriel) Garcia Marquez, he became a friend and
helped me with certain stories, and he said to me: I basically write the same
thing over and over. They are different versions of the same story. And its true.
He couldnt write in any fashion other than the way he did. When you write, you
have your style, you have your form. Photographers are like that too, except
that our language is a formal language, an aesthetic. Because we work within a
square space its formal by necessity. So I cant do things any other way than
my own. There are people who like that, people who dont, people who critique.
Fine. But thats the problem of people who look at the pictures. They may be
right, they may be wrong, but its their problem, not mine. (New York Times;
Sebastiao Salgados Journey From Brazil to the World by Larry Rohter March. 23,
2015).
In my opinion, these images are powerful, they tell a story and they tell one that
Sebastiao himself has been a part of. This is where, I believe, the power comes
from you are drawn in, as he knows how to take you on this journey alongside
him and his travelling participants.
All of the approaches discussed in this review have arguments for their portrayal
of beauty or the strength of the message being sent. They also come with
counterarguments, depending on the critic. For example, although I discussed
the beauty and message from here is New York A democracy of Photography,
some people might have problems with the ethic of trying not to look like you are
trying when creating an exhibition. Why not be natural instead of manipulating,
in order to appear not to be manipulating? Is it morally right to be manipulative
when dealing with such a sad set of circumstances?
Although there are such arguments, it is important to consider that there are
many different views on what the job of a photograph should be where it
begins, and where it ends. However, the final result is a combination, and
sometimes a delicate balance, of whatever the person holding the camera wants
it to be, and the thoughts of the recipient. I also argue that it is important to
capture a scene in front of you, a way that is honest to what you see, so that
your images will reflect that. Instead, a photograph can suffer because you are
focusing on somebody elses expectations and opinions. Again, the people of
New York, Salgado, JR and even Delahaye show their images, their experiences,
their relationship, and their views on the Landscape in front of them at that time.
Delahaye distances himself from his situation using a Linhof panoramic camera
(at a distance and with slow shutter speeds), Salgado becomes a part of it, with
this physical position (feeling) central in many of his photographs, and JR turns
landscape photography back to front. All three photographers cause upset, all
being accused of crossing moral boundaries in their own ways (and in JRs case
legal ones). Their works, however, are all honest and that is why they have
power - albeit using very different approaches.

Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review

With a foot in what seems like two worlds, I get to hear the thoughts of others,
those with an appreciation of art in many forms and those that get too confused
and just walk away from the image that they dont understand. Reaching
different types of people may mean reaching them in different ways; this is why
it is so important for diversity in Art, in photography and in writing. It allows for
people to be exposed to many view points and make up their own minds.
Our differences in the portrayal of our landscape makes it an incredibly diverse
genre - with so many photographers using it to create a physical image of what
they want to say and what they want us to learn and the changes they want us
to make that there will always be a negative critique from somebody for any
approach taken. Nonetheless, there will also be somebody that is touched by
each approach and what they see will inspire them or make them take stock and
think, so can we ask for more?
Word Count
Quotes: 361 Words
My Own Words: 1,856 Words
Total Word Count of Critical Essay 2,217

Hannah Lewis

510566

Critical Review