Art & Art History ETDs

Publication Date

4-22-1976

Abstract

The scope of this "exegesis" is to discuss the creative principles underlying my photographs. In order to to so, I first lay down a preliminary introduction to the making of the art product and my own personal philosophy regarding artistic creativity and photography. Then I include relevant data about my educational background which bears on my decision-making faculties. After this grounding in creative theory and definitions of the specific vocabulary utilized, I discuss the two types of creative responses which I propagate when making photographs. The first chapter relates photography to the art process in general terms of a tri-partite modality which involves the artist in the CONCEPTION, PRODUCTION, and PRESENTATION of the art object. I also discuss the cerebral mechanisms of the intellect during this process. The second chapter introduces the method of problem­solving familiar to architects as the parti and compares it with "inspiration." I propose that the art process be defined as a synthesis of both cognitive and intuitive energies within the artist which function along the guidelines of "Synectics"-­ a theory of the mechanisms of creative thinking. The next chapter deals with my recognition of a duality in my visual work--that is to say, that I make photographs from an intuitive approach and from a cognitive approach. I discuss the act of image-making and my own participation in the event. In "THE COGNITIVE APPROACH" I relate my experiences in the evolution of my Navel Series imagery; the problems I encountered and the solutions I forged out of conflict are enumerated as results of conscious reasoning about the nature of the photographic event and that sense of "presence" residing in the image. I discuss the use of the figure, strobe illumination, toning and cropping of the image. The next chapter offers insights into my intuitive method of taking photographs of lawns and shrubbery. Unlike the cognitive premeditation of the Navel Series, the Shrubbery Series relies on spontaneous, impulsive decisions. In this section of the text I expound further on the "presence" felt in the photograph and the synchronization of my camera operations with the transpiration of the event which takes place when I release the shutter. The final chapter compares these two approaches to photography--intuitive and cognitive. I conclude that the former is most adaptable to my present way of working. Additionally, I postulate that the cognitive manner of working is a reductive process while the intuitive is expansive and offers unlimited possibilities for future work. In conclusion I reaffirm my commitment to seeking out the unique essense of the photographic event--the "encapsulation of a moment in a bond of perpetuity."

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Arts

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

UNM Department of Art and Art History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Thomas R. Barrow

Second Committee Member

Wayne Roderic Lazorik

Third Committee Member

Van Deren Coke

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