I am forever torn between the marvel of the digital age and it's
facility to present me with a choice of billions of photographic images
at the click of a mouse, versus the intimate viewing of an actual
photographic document printed and signed by the artist. Without the
internet, my knowledge and appreciation of photography would be a small
fraction of what it is today. Without galleries and museums, that
knowledge would be dry and purely academic. I am not trying to stir
debate between the internet art world and the virtual art world, that
discussion is moot. Like most people though, my pendulum swings from one
side to the other. Too much time viewing art on the computer gets me
itching to visit some galleries or go hear an artist present a lecture
to a live audience. Too many days trudging through museum halls have me
wishing for the comfort of a nice chair and a warm mug of tea in front
of my internet bookmarks. So I need and love both the digital and the
virtual sides of the art world, but there are still a few elements of
the virtual side that the digital world can not compete with. Books are
one. (The tactile experience of turning a page will never be replaced by
the tablet.) And the artist's signature on a print or the inside cover
of a photobook is another. I love all of my books, but I treasure most
the books that have been signed by photographers I know or have met face
to face. The act of collecting becomes a personal experience.
I was looking through
The Photograph Collector's Guide
, by
Lee D Witkin and
Barbara London
(1979 NY Graphic Society) the other day and I became fascinated by the
signatures of photographers in the book. I am struck by the beauty and
artistic flare in many of these. The personality of the photographer
shows through and I almost feel as if I am experiencing something on an
intimate level. Will there ever be a digital equivalent to this level of
artistic intimacy? I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. I was
planning to label each one with a caption to identify them, but decided
that would be a distraction from their beauty. Most of these are easily
recognizable, if you study them carefully you should be able to figure
them all out. If you get stumped, leave a note in comments.
