![\"Waiting](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/384\/2015\/09\/20140713-082602.jpg\")
<\/a> When I go to an art museum, I always look at the little placard on the wall before I look at the work of art. I know; art is supposed to stand on its own. It shouldn\u2019t matter to me on first viewing whether a painting is a Degas or a Picasso or a Rembrandt; I should take it for what it is, first, before looking into its pedigree.<\/p>\nI can\u2019t help it. At best I glance at the painting, read the placard, and then<\/i> step back and try to savor it. (Well, usually. Some paintings are downright unsavory.)<\/p>\n
I have a similar reaction to photo essays or books: I always read the caption first, and then look at the picture after I know what I\u2019m seeing.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the thing: a picture, whether it\u2019s a photo or a painting, is a picture of something<\/i>, made in a particular context<\/i>. You can appreciate a beautiful picture purely for its own sake, but knowing the context and a little something about the subject can enhance your appreciation\u2026or, in some cases, make it possible to begin with.<\/p>\n
Consider the picture at the top of this post. Please take a closer look at it and form an opinion before you read any further.<\/p>\n
<\/p>
* * * * *<\/center>\nIt\u2019s one I rather enjoy, but I\u2019m in a distinct minority; it doesn\u2019t seem to impress anyone else on first acquaintance. It took it last summer while on vacation with the family; we were in San Francisco, waiting at the ferry terminal to take the ferry to Alcatraz Island for the tour of the penitentiary. They\u2019ve got quite a large waiting area, and a number of exhibits to keep people busy while they wait. <\/p>\n
Now, take a look at the picture again; and reflect that it isn\u2019t so much a picture of a diorama of Alcatraz Island as it is a picture of the people stuck in the waiting area until their ferry is called. Does it strike you any differently?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here’s the thing: a picture, whether it’s a photo or a painting, is a picture of something, made in a particular context. You can appreciate a beautiful picture purely for its own sake, but knowing the context and a little something about the subject can enhance your appreciation…or, in some cases, make it possible to begin with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1131,"featured_media":4548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[799],"tags":[831,59],"class_list":["post-4547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography-2","tag-alcatraz-island","tag-photography"],"yoast_head":"\n
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