The Threats

[Demers18]

I get the what you are trying to achieve with this image, however it's not doing it for me. Have you tried to make the graffiti come out a little more? Secondly, I think that this image would be a good candidate for B&W.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Joel_W]

As for me, it's just not my "cup of tea".

 

[o hey tyler]

George, why are you fighting Federico about his opinion? Who cares? Is he not entitled to one?

I happen to be on the fence about the image. There are some aspects that I like, but there are others that bother me. I feel that it could be appreciated at a higher resolution or a large print size. I don't like the centered door frame, or the lock. But I do like the fact that you have to look for more than just a cursory glance to see everything in the photograph.

Do I think it could have been executed differently? Yes. Does it work in some respects as it is? Yes. Am I chastising anyone else for having an opinion? Definitely not.

 

[Kerbouchard]

George, why are you fighting Federico about his opinion? Who cares? Is he not entitled to one?

Everybody is certainly entitled to their own opinion. I just offered my somewhat differing one.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Why is it NOT possible that something COULD have a deeper meaning than what one person, a few people, or even most of the people miss?
Why does something become a bunch of crap, simply because one doesn't understand it? Or can't, or doesn't want to?

I am sure that there are some cases where that is exactly the case.

Credit given for your response.

 

[Desi]

George, why are you fighting Federico about his opinion? Who cares? Is he not entitled to one?

Everybody is certainly entitled to their own opinion. I just offered my somewhat differing one.

You are certainly entitled to you opinion. But why disparage the artist, the people who commented on his work and those that commented further (artist, artists fan and artist fan's friend as you say). That cast a broad net.

As far as art, I appreciate a work that makes me look twice. I think this one missed in that, on my screen, the message was not really decipherable, but the title implied it and I enjoyed the time I spent trying to see the OPs intent.

Lets face it, not every image is like a Disney princess......some need a deeper meaning or they will never get a second glance.

 

[LizardKing]

George, why are you fighting Federico about his opinion? Who cares? Is he not entitled to one?

Everybody is certainly entitled to their own opinion. I just offered my somewhat differing one.

You are certainly entitled to you opinion. But why disparage the artist, the people who commented on his work and those that commented further (artist, artists fan and artist fan's friend as you say). That cast a broad net.

As far as art, I appreciate a work that makes me look twice. I think this one missed in that, on my screen, the message was not really decipherable, but the title implied it and I enjoyed the time I spent trying to see the OPs intent.

Lets face it, not every image is like a Disney princess......some need a deeper meaning or they will never get a second glance.

I was about to say pretty much the same...

It's ok to have a different opinion and express it. After all, that's the base in a forum, I think. The only problem, is that it seems to me, you (Kerbouchard) took the discussion to a whole different level and started talking about things that weren't the points being discussed. Not only that, it seems you also took it kind of personal and 1 every 2-3 posts in the last 2 pages are yours, trying to defend your point or why you did it... Which wasn't actually what the rest was talking about. To me, it totally ruined the previous discussion which was far more interesting.

Not trying to argue with you here, just making a point.

 

[unpopular]

Thank you all, in particular Ernicus and Rotan, these are quality critiques which I can use. I like the idea of the door, and a big part of what I do involves context. But I cannot argue or even necessarily disagree with your assessments that the door is too dominant, and will take this into consideration.

 

[unpopular]

For me, it's about the world which we live in, not the one we wish we did: one of compositional conventions, perpetual 'golden hour light'. It's about decay, opinions wanting to be heard, leaving a mark, differing messages by different people. Who left them, what were they thinking and why. It's about the people who came before us, and the people who came after. The attempts we make to cover up these inconveniences with white-wash paint.

Chapeau.

Whenever one tries to share an "unconventional" photograph, less people will make a connection with the image, especially on photo forums (which are the speed-dating version of photographic enjoyment – you have two seconds to make an impression, or else). The good news is that when people do make a connection, that connection can be much stronger than the one they make with conventional material. Just my two cents, of course.

I like the photo. Like someone else said before me, it made me stop and think.

This is why I hate art crtiics and artists. It is also why I have routinely said that I am not an artist.

My definition of an artist: One who claims that his message is hidden in his work and that you have to be worthy to appreciate it.
My definition of an artist fan: One who claims he can see this hidden message thus proclaiming himself better than those who are around him.
My definition of an artist fan's friend: One who agrees with the fan so that he is also deep.

Basically, what we are left with is a crappy piece, a fan who doesn't know why it's good, but knows that he is supposed to think that it is good so he makes something up to pretend like he understands, and the people who listen to the people who are pretending like they understand agreeing so they can feel like they are part of the 'in' crowd.

I call it the "Ellsworth Toohey effect".

The point of art is not to communicate, it's to explore and understand. I cannot convey ideas which appeal to every viewer, there is no universal interest or aesthetic. This is a modernist white whale, you'll never find it and if you do you'll have nothing to say.

It's fine that you or anyone else doesn't like it. It's fine that you don't see anything. It's not about searching for some hidden meaning - I was asked what I was trying to convey, not what you should interpret. If you knew anything about art and postmodernism, you'd be familiar with the Intentional Fallacy.

But don't tell me what I am permitted to see in the world or how I am permitted to interpret my own work. Saying something is subjectless or boring is an arrogant and self righteous position. Besides, it never was my intent to impress anyone. It's not a lingerie advertisement.

 

[Jaemie]

^ Very well said.

 

[Ernicus]

Thank you all, in particular Ernicus and Rotan, these are quality critiques which I can use.

I was quite surprised to see my name in there, glad I was able to give you something useful. ;-)

 

[Patriot]

Photo does nothing to me. My ex's facebook wall is more interesting.

Wow that was uncalled for. People like you would never tell that to someone's face in person. You would rather hide behind your screen and make unneeded comments.

 

[pgriz]

Dark on left, light on right, but not black and white.
Left is a door to somewhere, either as entry or exit. Right is a wall, barrier between two spaces(worlds?).
The light, from the left, is shallow enough to show the whitewash as having texture and shadows. Both the door and wall have writings on them. I am wishing for a higher resolution image to see if I can figure out what they say. As Bitter has noted, there is “Montana” and “communist” and “democrats”, although it is not clear if they are linked. There is other writing higher up, more obscured. I would guess that is connected to a student living there, since it doesn’t show enough anger or angst.

The handprint is interesting – it appears to be relatively small, perhaps a child’s. It’s also at a height that a pre-teen would be able to reach without stretching. It is a right hand, so the left was being used to open the latch.

The door itself is steel, and the two latches are not keyed,so it is most likely an utility door to a stairwell, or a storage area.

The fact that someone painted over the writing on the wall means that keeping the place more or less in order is important, but the way the paint was applied means the person doing it didn’t really care. So this door has to be in an institution, and not a private residence.

Yup, there’s lots to see if you take the time to study it. Pictorially, given that the picture was divided so evenly horizontally, I’d have been tempted to center the locks on a horizon that would run between the two fixtures.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Jon Tester
Max Bacous

Both Montana communist democrats.

 

[pgriz]

Jon Tester
Max Bacous

Both Montana communist democrats.

Interesting! I googled both of them, and they are in fact Democratic Senators from Montana. Obviously the writer did not agree with their politics.