That line has been like a "burr under the saddle" for a lot of photography aficionados.
>From a commenter on this page: http://blog.kevinmoloney.com/?p=775 {{{{{ “The greatest artists, Westerbeck says, know how to create a distance from their subjects.” Lets hope that Mr. Westerbeck gets a chance to clarify this soon. As a thought, it’s incomplete at best, and it does not seem to apply to Stieglitz, Callahan, Gowin, Levitt, Agee, Davidson, Weston, Frank, Hare, Arbus, Model and a lot of other “advanced amateurs” whom I have admired for forty years. Bob Cooper }}}}} - - - And from: https://sites.google.com/a/lfcsinc.org/photography/vts-images/p147b {{{{{ What? I'm afraid I have to agree with Tiffany Jones here. That sounds like a complete load of shit. First of all, these photographs are as witty and cleverly constructed as any street photos out there. They may not be ironic, but since when is irony a requirement for quality, especially in mid-century photography? Not distant enough from their subjects? I suppose that would discredit Arbus, Model, Hine, Atget, Sander, Weegee, Brassai, etc. Sorry guys, you'd be great artists if only you'd created more separation. Maybe Maier isn't as cool and calculated as Callahan or Ishimoto, but I actually view that as a plus. She's so present in her photos. It's an amazing gift. In short, critique is fine but please comment on what she is rather than what she isn't. I suspect Westerbeck's assessment may have gotten sidetracked by Maier's storybook bio. Treasure trove nearly lost, found in an estate sale, etc. It's a great drama regardless of the photos. But to me the story of Vivian Maier isn't that her work was lost and rediscovered. It's the work itself that matters. Her photographs are among the most vibrant street shots I've ever seen. I'm not sure which photos Westerbeck has already viewed, but I suggest he devote more hours to looking through Maier's archives. The quality and consistency of vision will prove impossible to miss. The danger is that Westerbeck's Chicago Magazine opinion will set the tone for future appraisals. Once someone of his stature has chimed in other critics are likely to follow his cue. Worse, it may pave the way for misappreciation by society at large. Most folks are like Phil Donahue. They need a curator to tell them which photos are important and which aren't. To a layman writing or reading a magazine profile Westerbeck becomes the voice of authority. The X factor in all of this is John Maloof (and now to a lesser extent Jeff Goldstein). Not only does he determine which images Westerbeck will judge, he controls which images any of us see. Although there are a few similar cases in history in which the fate of a photographer hinges on just one gatekeeper, this seems like an extreme example. To date, Maier's legacy has been completely tied to and dependent on Maloof. So far the editing has been wonderful. The images in this post —plucked at random from recent posts on Maloof's blog— are testament to that. But I can't help wondering about the process. How much weeding out is occurring? How active is the curating? How much of what we are seeing is Maier's vision, and how much is Maloof's? Book, show, and film are forthcoming. I for one am looking forward to all of them. }}}}} From: http://www.theincoherentlight.com/2010/12/vivian-maier.html {{{{{ Now there's no doubt that addressing any criticism to words quoted in a magazine article is a fool’s errand as things are often taken out of context, or misunderstood, but it seems clear enough that upstarts working in isolation and unrecognised are only welcome in the art world if they are discovered through its own (dubious) machinations and not by a private individual gaining attention and support for this otherwise unseen work on the internet, as opposed to through the efforts of some established cultural institution. Westerbeck’s assessment of the work, despite his reputation as a critic, is frankly unbelievable, obviously confusing style and substance in a way that is most unfortunate. }}}}} >From the original Maloof flickr discussion: http://www.flickr.com/groups/onthestreet/discuss/72157622552378986/72157625615667186/ {{{{{ The greatest artists, Westerbeck says, know how to create a distance from their subjects." What do people think of this assessment? I would argue that Vivian Maier's connection with her subjects is a large part of what makes the work compelling. Westerbeck implies there is only space for ironic and witty pictures in the canon of street photography. But then he's an 'expert' so what do I know?! }}}}} Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
