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Quote by Bernd Becher

“The question if this is a work of art or not is not very interesting for us. Probably it is situated in between the established categories. Anyway the audience which is interested in art would be the most open-minded and willing to think about it.”

Quote by Bernd Becher

Author

German conceptual artist known for his photographic works, particularly his series of industrial architecture photographs, often created in collaboration with his wife, Hilla Becher. Bernd Becher's work is characterized by precise composition and an objective perspective, which has had a profound impact on photographic art. more

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“This is about objects, not motifs. The photo is only a substitute for an object; it is unsuitable as a picture in its customary sense.”

Objects Substitutes Motifs

Author:Bernd Becher

“We don't agree with the depiction of buildings in the '20s and 1930s. Things were seen either from above or below which tended to monumentalize the object. This was exploited in terms of a socialistic view - a fresh view of the world, a new man, a new beginning.”

Men World Term Views Objects Building Agree New Beginnings 1930s Depiction

Author:Bernd Becher

“Our camera does not produce pretty pictures, but exact duplications that, through our renunciation of photographic effects, turn out to be relatively objective. The photo can optically replace its object to a certain degree. This takes on special meaning if the object cannot be preserved.”

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Author:Bernd Becher

“There is no photograph more inherently photographic than another.”

Author:Walead Beshty

“[X-ray's] accidental discovery in the late 1800s fits seamlessly into modernity's fascination with, and belief in, the power of technological transparency: the desire to domesticate time (cinema), to preserve and capture the surface of the fleeting (photography), to see inside (x-ray).”

Desire Belief Fit Late Photography Discovery Surface Preserves Cinema Capture Rays Technological Fleeting Fascination Transparency Modernity

Author:Walead Beshty

“I'm not particularly invested in, nor do I really care about, photography in a general sense. It's a medium that's relatively ubiquitous, readily accessible, and that I have some facility with, so it makes sense for me to use it.”

Use Care Photography Mediums Make Sense Facility

Author:Walead Beshty

“People say don't stare. Through the photos, not only do I stare, but I allow viewers to stare at the subject, to see things that they cannot see with a casual glance.”

People Subjects Staring Viewers Glances Casual

Author:Dawoud Bey

“Black people have been killed for directing their gaze at the wrong person. I want my subjects to reclaim their right to look, to see, to be seen.”

People Want Looks Persons Has Beens Black Subjects Black People Wrong Person

Book:Dawoud Bey: portraits 1975-1995

Source: Dawoud Bey: portraits 1975-1995

“I always wanted my photographs to challenge the status quo, to contest the kinds of images that existed in popular culture.”

Kind Wanted Culture Challenges Photograph Contests Status Quo Popular Culture

Author:Dawoud Bey

“Improvisational things about picture-making... learned from working with the small camera early on have served me well in being able to think quickly when making [portraits].”

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Author:Dawoud Bey