UnderstandingaPhotograph JohnBerger

Foroveracentury,photographersandtheirapologistshavearguedthatphotography deservestobeconsideredafineart.Itishardtoknowhowfartheapologeticshave succeeded.Certainly the vastmajorityofpeopledonotconsiderphotographyanart, evenwhilsttheypractise,enjoy,useandvalueit.Theargumentofapologists(andI myselfhavebeenamongthem)hasbeenalittleacademic. Itnowseemsclearthatphotographydeservestobeconsideredasthoughitwere not a fineart.Itlooksasthoughphotography(whateverkindofactivityitmaybe)isgoingto outlivepaintingandsculptureaswehavethoughtofthemsincetheRenaissance.Itnow seemsfortunatethatfewmuseumshavehadsufficientinitiative toopenphotographic departments,foritmeansthatfewphotographshavebeenpreservedinsacredisola tion,itmeansthatthepublichavenotcometothinkofanyphotographsasbeing beyond them.(Museumsfunctionlikehomesofthenobilitytowhichthepublicat certainhoursareadmittedasvisitors.Theclassnatureofthe'nobility'mayvary, butas soonasaworkisplacedinamuseumitacquiresthe mystery ofawayoflifewhich excludesthemass.) Letmebeclear.Paintingandsculptureasweknowthemarenotdyingofanystylistic disease,ofanythingdiagnosedbytheprofessionally horrifiedasculturaldecadence; theyaredyingbecause,intheworldasitis,noworkofartcansurviveandnotbecome avaluableproperty.Andthisimpliesthe deathofpaintingandsculpturebecause property,asonceitwasnot,isnowinevitablyopposedtoallothervalues.People believeinproperty,butinessencetheyonlybelieveintheillusionofprotectionwhich propertygives.Allworksoffineart,whatevertheircontent, whateverthesensibilityof anindividualspectator,mustnowbereckonedasnomorethanpropsforthe confidenceofthe worldspiritofconservatism. Bytheirnature,photographshavelittleornopropertyvaluebecausetheyhaveno rarityvalue.Theveryprincipleofphotographyisthattheresultingimageisnotunique, butonthecontraryinfinitelyreproducible.Thus,intwentiethcenturyterms, photographsarerecordsofthingsseen.Letusconsiderthemno closertoworksofart thancardiograms.Weshallthenbefreerofillusions.Ourmistakehasbeento categorizethingsasartbyconsideringcertainphasesoftheprocessofcreation.But logicallythiscanmakeallmanmadeobjectsart.Itismoreusefultocategorizeart by whathasbecomeitssocialfunction.Itfunctionsasproperty.Accordingly,photographs aremostlyoutsidethecategory. Photographsbearwitnesstoahumanchoicebeingexercisedinagivensituation.A photographisaresultofthephotographer'sdecisionthatitisworthrecordingthatthis particular eventorthisparticularobjecthasbeenseen.Ifeverythingthereexistedwere continuallybeingphotographed,everyphotographwouldbecomemeaningless.A

photographcelebratesneithertheeventitselfnorthefacultyofsightinitself.A photographis alreadyamessageabouttheeventitrecords.Theurgencyofthis messageisnotentirelydependentontheurgencyoftheeventbutneithercanitbe entirelyindependentfromit.Atitssimplest themessage,decoded,means:I have decidedthatseeingthisis worthrecording. Thisisequallytrueofverymemorablephotographsandthemostbanalsnapshots. Whatdistinguishestheonefromtheotheristhedegreetowhichthephotograph explainsthemessage,thedegreetowhichthephotographmakesthephotographer's decisiontransparentandcomprehensible.Thuswecometolittleunderstoodparadox ofthephotograph.Thephotographisanautomaticrecordthroughthemediationof lightofagivenevent:yet ituses the given eventto explain itsrecording.Photographyis theprocessofrenderingobservationselfconscious. Wemustridourselvesofaconfusionbroughtaboutbycontinuallycomparing photographywiththefinearts.Everyhandbookonphotography talksabout composition.Thegoodphotographisthe wellcomposedone.Yetthisistrueonlyinso faraswethinkofphotographicimagesimitatingpaintedones.Painting,isanartof arrangement: thereforeitisreasonabletodemandthatthereissomekindoforderin whatisarranged.Everyrelationbetweenformsinapaintingistosomedegree adaptabletothepainter'spurpose.Thisisnotthecasewithphotography.(Unlesswe includethoseabsurdstudioworksinwhichthephotographerarrangesevery detailof hissubjectbeforehetakesthepicture.)Compositionintheprofound,formativesense ofthewordcannotenterintophotography. Theformalarrangementofaphotographexplainsnothing.Theeventsportrayedarein themselvesmysteriousorexplicableaccordingtothespectator'sknowledgeofthem priortohisseeingthephotograph.Whatthengivesthephotographasphotograph meaning?Whatmakesitsminimalmessage Ihave decidedthatseeingthisisworth recording largeandvibrant? Thetrue contentofaphotographisinvisible,foritderivesfromaplay,notwithform, butwithtime.Onemightarguethatphotographyisasclosetomusicastopainting.I havesaidthata photographbearswitnesstoahumanchoicebeingexercised. This choice isnotbetweenphotographingxandy:butbetweenphotographingatxmoment oratymoment.Theobjectsrecordedinanyphotograph(fromthemosteffectivetothe mostcommonplace)carryapproximatelythesameweight,thesameconviction.What variesistheintensitywithwhichwearemadeawareofthepolesofabsenceand presence.Betweenthesetwopolesphotographyfindsitspropermeaning.(Themost popularuseofthephotographisasamementooftheabsent.) Aphotograph,whilstrecordingwhathasbeenseen,alwaysandbyitsnaturerefersto whatisnotseen.Itisolates,preservesandpresentsamomenttakenfromacontinuum. Thepowerofapaintingdependsuponitsinternalreferences.Itsreferencetothe

naturalworldbeyondthelimitsofthepaintedsurfaceisneverdirect;itdealsin equivalents.Or,toputitanotherway:paintinginterpretstheworld,translatingitinto itsownlanguage.Butphotographyhasnolanguageofitsown.Onelearnstoread photographsasonelearnstoreadfootprintsorcardiograms.The languageinwhich photographydealsisthelanguageofevents.Allitsreferencesareexternaltoitself. Hencethecontinuum. Amoviedirectorcanmanipulatetimeasapaintercanmanipulatetheconfluenceofthe eventshedepicts.Notsothestillphotographer.Theonlydecisionhecantakeisas regardsthemomenthechoosestoisolate.Yetthisapparentlimitationgives the photographitsuniquepower. Whatitshowsinvokeswhatisnotshown.Onecanlookat anyphotographtoappreciatethetruthofthis.Theimmediaterelationbetweenwhatis presentandwhatisabsentisparticulartoeachphotograph:itmaybethatoficetosun, ofgrieftoatragedy,ofasmiletoapleasure,ofabodytolove,ofawinningracehorse totheraceithasrun. Aphotographiseffectivewhenthechosenmomentwhichitrecordscontainsa quantumoftruthwhichisgenerallyapplicable,whichisasrevealingaboutwhatis absentfromthephotographasaboutwhatispresentinit.Thenatureofthisquantum oftruth,andthewaysinwhichitcanbediscerned,varygreatly.Itmaybefoundinan expression,anaction,ajuxtaposition,avisualambiguity,aconfiguration.Norcanthis trutheverbeindependentofthespectator.ForthemanwithaPolyfotoofhisgirlinhis pocket,thequantumoftruthinan'impersonal'photographmuststilldependuponthe generalcategoriesalreadyinthespectator'smind. Allthismayseemclosetotheoldprincipleofarttransformingtheparticularintothe universal.Butphotographydoesnotdeal inconstructs. Thereisnotransformingin photography.Thereisonlydecision,onlyfocus.Theminimalmessageofaphotograph maybelesssimplethanwefirstthought.Insteadofitbeing: Ihavedecidedthat seeing thisisworthrecording,wemaynow decodeitas: Thedegreetowhich Ibelievethisis

worthlooking atcanbejudgedbyallthatIamwillinglynotshowingbecauseitis containedwithinit.

Why complicateinthiswayanexperiencewhichwehavemanytimeseveryday the experienceoflookingataphoto experienceiswastefulandconfusing.Wethinkof photographsasworksofart,asevidenceofaparticulartruth,aslikenessesasnews items.Everyphotographisinfactameansoftesting,confirmingandconstructinga totalviewofreality.Hencethecrucialroleofphotographyinideologicalstruggle.Hence the necessityofourunderstandingaweaponwhichwecanuseandwhichcanbeused againstus.
Thisarticleisscanned,OCRed,proofreadby Taylan in2006.Needlesstosay,itismypersonalcopy,andoriginal author(s)andthepublisher(s)retainallrightsofthisarticle.Pleasedonotdistributeorreproduce. Itoriginally appearedas "UnderstandingaPhotograph" in SelectedEssaysandArticles:TheLookofThings,1972 byJohnBerger.