When I go through my photography books and look at all of the 19th and early 20th-century work, I wonder how people a hundred years from now will view our work.
Will anyone be here in a hundred years? That’s a valid question. It’s obvious to ask about your significance in a hundred or two hundred years is a question that’s steeped in death anxiety. It’s a way to live beyond our physical death. Deep down, we’re afraid that our life is meaningless and that we’re going to die and be forgotten. That is the crux of death anxiety.
I know that we all need to find meaning and feel significant in our lives. Those are important for surviving, even thriving, in this life. It’s what constitutes our self-esteem. Without our “immortality projects,” we would live in daily terror - it would be unbearable. It’s easy to see those that don’t find meaning and significance in life.
This question is irrelevant when you’re dead. I understand that, but, we’re living now and this question drives some of us to make the best work that we can. We want to live on in some way, even if we’re not here physically, we will be here through the work we make. I do find comfort in that. And I find meaning in it as well. I do want to contribute and make the world a better place - if that’s possible.
I appreciate and I’m grateful for the artists of the past that put the effort into creating work that can be seen today - painting, sculpture, music, writing, photography, all of it. I stand on their shoulders every time I expose an image - they are a constant influence and I’m humbled by their presence.
“White Horse, Teller County, Colorado” - Whole Plate bleached/toned Cyanotype print from a Calotype (waxed paper negative). This is my favorite print of the day. I feel like the distressed look supports how I feel here sometimes thinking about the history and the events. It’s kind of an emotional prod - I’m influenced by Joel Peter Witkin and how he used distressed negatives to make prints that you could “feel”.
I can say, with some certainty, that they had the same questions then as we do today. After all, we’re all human, not very different from one another in that respect. And we all know that one day, we’ll die. Albert Camus, an Algerian/French philosopher wrote, “There is only one liberty, to come to terms with death, thereafter anything is possible.” Making art is a great way to find that “liberty”.
If humans are still here in a hundred or two hundred years and can access work (photography or any art) that is being made today, what will they think? Will they like it? Will it mean anything to them? Will they understand it? I think they will if you, as the artist, provide information about what it is and why it was made. Give context and give intention. The more information, the better. Things change so much and without knowing what was going on when the work was made, puts it in a vacuum so to speak. It leaves the work without any cultural or environmental support. And without the words of the artist or maker, it falls short in meaning and significance.
Everything influences us - influence is incessant. If we make work about flowers or trees today, we’re still, in some way, being influenced by the wars, the economy, the politics, and the social strife of our time. We can never dismiss it and it will always be present in the work in some way. Whether we know it or not. Think about these influences. Examine why you’re doing what you’re doing and talk about it. Help people understand what they’re experiencing.
If you ever feel like your life is just a blip on the radar of cosmic meaning, and that you’ll die and be forgotten, make some art! Say something about your life, about who you are, and what you find meaningful. Maybe it will last far beyond your physical death and you’ll live on - your life will have meaning and you won’t be forgotten.
“Between a Rock and a Hard Place” - Whole Plate bleached/toned Cyanotype print from a Calotype (waxed paper negative). I made a print on some Canson Crob Art paper. It’s used for Albumen printing, it’s very thin paper. It held up well and produced a nice print. I’ll flatten this and it’ll look great!