Jeff Wall

While googling Jeff Wall, I cam across a NY Times article that provides greater insight as to what he as a photographer represents. After reading both the assigned article and the discovered article it is apparent that Jeff Wall is somewhat of a unique, unconventional photographer for he defies one of the most characteristic and traditional features of photography; documentation. Photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Friedlander, Walker Evans and Garry Winogrand based their work on capturing the convergence of “subject, lighting and frame before clicking the shutter”. They were photographic “hunters”. Wall on the other hand aspires to make images that “could be constructed and experienced the way paintings are”. He also wants his photos to be purely aesthetically pleasing and puts subject matter on the backburner. He says he does not want to get caught up in “this reductive business of what is all means” and instead opts for a photo to be just that, a photo.

My thoughts on Wall’s work and his approach? I think he demonstrates an often overlooked role of photography and how it can be used in other ways than just “capturing the fleeting moment” and documenting the realities of everyday life. By constructing images that often have no significant meaning, Wall’s work serves a different purpose which is necessary for any medium. How boring would it be for all photographers to adopt the “hunter” approach? Art serves to challenge our perceptions and conventions and I think Wall’s work fulfills an essential component; his photographs “come from never having to choose between fact and fiction, between a moment and a perfect representation of that moment.” It forces people to think about the different roles photography provides which is why I can not help but appreciate his approach and work.

That doesn’t mean that I prefer the “traditional” documentary methods of Cartier-Bresson, Winogrand or Evans any less though…