Some final thoughts from David Glen

Hello, Everyone!

I Hope Bill doesn't mind my taking poll position in the blog to thank you all again for your thoughtful input regarding aesthetics and the documentary photograph. I have some final thoughts that I'd like to share with you, and these touch on just two issues.

The first is to do with historical responsibility. That we all--whether photographer, painter, illustrator, sculptor, or writer--have an impact on history is without question. For our work will be seen by future generations, and what our artwork contains will be used by our descendants in the ongoing process of understanding existence itself. As I have said elsewhere in the blog, all of us are setting down the visual evidence of our time for those who will come after us. In doing so, it is imperative that we tell the truth about what we see around us every day, whether with camera or brush, and that we connect with the heart of the matter on both an intellectual and an emotional level. We owe that to posterity because if we fail to tell the truth, are disingenuous in our motives, or manipulate facts, we violate the trust not just of those alive today but of future generations to come.

I believe very strongly in this and that it applies to ALL facets of the human condition. It even applies to the ethics of those who would represent us in government; of doctors who have sworn to put the lives and well-being of their patients first; of scientists and engineers in whose integrity we rely every time we step on an airplane, or drive a car.

When we look back on history, we have to rely on the fact that the photographers who were present in say Vietnam, or those in Iraq, were people of integrity, and that their work was not some kind of sordid manipulation of the truth for personal gain.

As you go on in life and pursue your art in whichever medium you have chosen, please remember always your integrity, your dedication to honest representation. Show that you really do care about issues, and always remember that child of the future who will one day stand and stare at your work and be changed forever.

The second thought is to do with taking sides. This is an extension of "caring about issues", and the good news is that we need not always focus on the tragic; we can also reveal the uplifting. One of the most overused words in the media today is "objectivity". It may seem odd to many of you when I say that I don't believe in absolute objectivity. It's just not possible to be wholly objective in anything. The very fact that we choose a specific topic for our art is subjective, and in choosing a subject I care about, I am by definition taking a side.

The great Dorothea Lange once wrote: "...documentary photography records the social scene of our time. It mirrors the present and documents the future. Its focus is man in relation to mankind. It records his customs at work, at war, at play, or his round of activities through 24 hours of the day, the cycle of the seasons or the span of a life. It portrays his institutions--family, church, government, political organizations, social clubs, labor unions. It shows not merely their facades, but seeks to reveal the manner in which they function, absorb the life, hold the loyalty, and influence the behavior of human beings. It is concerned with methods of work and the dependence of workmen on each other and their employers. It is preeminently suited to building a record of change."

This is true of all art. In my opinion, you MUST take a stance on the things you care about. The only part of "objectivity" that should apply is your unfailing effort to tell your visual story with absolute integrity. Just one work of art contributed in this way will rekindle our trust in humanity, and will leave the world a better place. It is for me the purest aesthetic.

Good luck to all of you!

David