Exercise - 'In the American West'

Avedon's 'In the American West' presents us with many issues that documentary practice can often pose. To begin with we must question to what extent the universal objectivity can be practiced? The selection and portrayal of the subjects, especially presenting the topics forced and fashioned will always be based on our individual views, so therefore very often the document can focus on the photographer, rather than the subject that is meant to be documented. Avedon's portraits of the West are detached from the backgrounds, edited in such way that the viewer is to focus purely on the exaggerated features and the characteristics of their occupation. The selection of the subjects is also very questionable leaving us wondering why only manual, dirty workers were chosen to be selected for the project. And this further expands to the bigger issue relevant to the whole world of art, not just photography - the fashioning of public tastes and creation of the art and the position of the artist. A very relevant read here would be Tom Wolfe's 'The Painted Word'. A piece of art can be seen as a promotional material for the artist, the museum and the sponsor. The criticism of the art is often manipulated and can also be very much based on the previous achievements of the artist. The public opinion can be therefore very easily shaped not by the art, but by how the art is perceived by the ruling critics and the press.
Lastly the issue of exploitation must be mentioned here. We must question the extent of the portrayal of the subjects as artist's vision. Diane Arbus was another photographer often accused of extended exploitation. If I was to voice my opinion here, I would have to say that all photography can be exploitative. We, as photographers are meant to be expressing our views and opinions and if we are to be successful they must transpire into our photographs and therefore an element of exploitation is often unavoidable.