Perception In Art

                                                                                                    

                                                      Perception in Art

“The difference between Art and Shit is someone’s opinion.” - Albert Normandin

 Oh so ever true and oh so ever bold just like the photographs I reviewed for the Florida

State College at Jacksonville’s 31^st Annual College-wide Photography Competition. There

were an abundant amount of amazing new talent that I viewed but there was also a lot of

“huh?” and “I just don’t know about that”.  I was blown away by some of the work but my

 perception of the other photographs was highly unapologetic.  Photograph after

photograph, I seemed apathetic upon viewing. Nothing spoke to me really. Perhaps I was

just in a unforgiving, relentless mood but alas, I came upon something that moved me.

   Upon viewing the first segment of photographs, I stumbled upon Susan Tassin’s

Paralyzed photograph. This picture just made me feel angry. Not because it offended me

as a viewer, but because it offended me as an artist. I was shocked at how pretentious it

was. The picture was of a woman with a rough, overly enhanced grotesque face trying to

 hold back her body while there was a gun pointed at her. I just felt that this photo was

way too over- the- top and over-exaggerated. It seemed the artist was simply just trying

too hard, in other words. It also seems like the artist had an assignment of which they

forgot to do the assignment and rushed to get it complete.  I was just so utterly

unimpressed.

  

      When trying to get over my initial abhorrent feeling towards Paralyzed, I came across

a wonderful photograph that made me smile yet made me feel sorrowful as well. The

artist was Christopher Eaton and the picture was Caged. This photo is a perfect example

of what a subliminal message should be. There was this gorgeous leopard lying under a

tree. To one person’s eye, it would be just a simple B&W photo of a leopard in the shade

but to others, the look in the leopard’s eye would scream ‘amazingly sad’ to them. The

artist seemed to capture the overwhelmingly beautiful sadness that this animal feels while

being “caged”. It blew me away. You knew it was a lovely creature that needed to be free.

It spoke to me as an animal lover and a photography lover.

     Feeling a bit relieved that there is creative photography still being made, I came upon

this exquisite photo of Mother Nature in action. The photo was called Calming Storm by

John Shippee.  I am a nature lover and an amateur nature photographer myself and this

photo made me smile. The beauty of the luscious dark, stormy clouds escaping the

oncoming strength of the sun was well-captured. It also brought a sense of familiarity

because I know this picture was taken at Jacksonville Beach or somewhere close. Some of

my most favorite things about Florida are the wonderful storms we have. They make for a

breathtakingly beautiful sky afterwards. What a lovely photograph indeed. I would love to

have this placed on my wall in my home. I was kind of shocked that it did not receive any

awards. But apparently, the phrase, beauty is in the eye of the beholder rings true for me

in this case.

    It appears that I was starting to get to the good stuff… to the pictures that appeal most

to me most side of the room. There was a photograph called Marlboro Man by Karla

Bacon that I viewed next. This photo made me feel at ease. It was a picture of a cowboy

looking down under the shades of a tree during the sunset.  I‘m not a huge fan of smoking

or any western-style genres but this photo spoke to my nature side yet once again. It

showed that you can feel one with nature, while feeling isolated with a sense of solitude.

Some might not like that sensation, but the photo painted it in a way that it seemed

refreshingly wonderful.  I craved to go for a walk in the woods during sunset by myself.

    So, there you have it. My tour of the gallery that night came to an end. All in all, my

night viewing these simple yet creative photographs made me feel comfortable knowing

that there is still amazing art to be made. What you might think of as art, I might think of

it as a waste of time. I definitely did feel that during the beginning of the tour but what I

saw that night at the gallery left something that gave me hope. Now you may not agree

with me but the beauty of Art is that it is highly perceptual. One person’s viewpoint on

the artwork can be completely different to another’s viewpoint. It’s what moves you as an

individual.