Concept over image

 ...or how we sometimes use the easy way out.

This would be somewhat a rant but since I promised a photo on each post...here's one. 

©Tanya Decheva, Sinemorets, 2016

What does conceptual art mean? On the Tate website you can find this description: 

Conceptual art is art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object. It emerged as an art movement in the 1960s and the term usually refers to art made from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.

As I started writing this I had a certain opinion. You see, modern day conceptual photography was something I didn't understand. My main thesis would gravitate on the understanding that an author would try to save his bullshit photos with a text. People are so concerned with the concept that they neglect the image. Photos are usually dull - composition is off, light doesn't play a role, no thought on using colors and tones to emphasize on something in the image. In other words, a photo that has none soever aesthetic quality. That drove me mad - you say you're a photographer, but the text is far more engaging than your photographs.

And then I realized that I'm not so familiar with conceptual art, with the exception of one or two authors. A bit of distraction - a conceptual image by Barbara Kruger...

©Barbara Kruger, Business as usual, 1987

So I began reading about the history and meaning of conceptual art and I realized where my confusion came from. You see there's no such thing as conceptual photography, conceptual painting, conceptual video art - it's just conceptual art using a certain medium or mediums - photography, painting, video, text, etc. The artist has an idea and then decides how to present it through an art form. In “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art” Sol LeWitt explains: "When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair." 

©Helena Almeida, Study for Inner Improvement, 1977

Photography is an excellent tool for creating conceptual art. Its dualism (realistic and at the same time abstract) can help present an idea, a feeling, an emotion. Combining photographic images with text or paint, making collages is something a lot of artists use. Maybe the problem I had with conceptual photography series is that most of what I've seen recently was not well thought through. My attitude towards conceptual art changed gradually. I don't know if I did manage to answer more questions or if I created more of them in my head. But anyway the path of searching is somehow never ending. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments and I hope you enjoyed this text. There's a list below with articles on conceptual art, if you're interested.

©John Baldessari, Violent Space Series: Nine Feet (Of Victim And Crowd) Arranged By Position In Scene, 1976

©Bieke Depoorter, As it may be, 2017

More to read:

- If You Don’t Understand Conceptual Art, It’s Not Your Fault
- Conceptual Art - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Conceptual Art - The Art Story
- Art Movement: Conceptual Art