Posted by Ian Wolfenden on February 24, 2011 at 2:13 PM
Some of you might be interested in the recent work of one of New Zealand's best and most widely published photographers, Ans Westra, who for many years documented daily life in Maori communities. Interestingly, in a complete change of direction, she has lately turned to making landscape and floral images. I first came across her work on a visit to New Zealand a few years ago.
Her images are very understated - slices of landscapes, trees or gardens usually without obvious compositional devices, and often, to me at least, strangely moving. She exhibits very large scale prints; a selection of her flower and landscape photos is shown currently at http://www.photoforum-nz.org/gallery/other portfolios.
Posted by Pat Sampson on February 25, 2011 at 10:23 AM
Thanks Ian. I just went and had a look. I liked all of her images but particularly the relatively few actual florals. I plan to go back and look at the work at least a few times.
Thanks for the post.
pat
Posted by Bill Fach on February 26, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Ian: Thanks for the heads up. Interesting work. When I look at this kind of art I wonder if I'm so conditioned by the NPN style that I can't really get into other styles. Frankly I didn't see a single image that I would choose as a weekly pick in Flora although some might work for Photo Art. I'm pretty unsophisticated when it comes to art. Sometimes in my most cynical moments I think some artists get so much hype that anything they put up gets rave reviews while I just look at it and go or even . I'd be interested in other responses and may even make this a topic on its own. >=))>
Posted by Ian Wolfenden on February 26, 2011 at 1:05 PM
Bill : Glad you found the reference interesting. But I am a bit puzzled by your seeming to feel that what you saw was very `arty'.
When you say ` this kind of art ' and `some might work for Photo Art ' are you referring to Ans Westra's images ( the rhododendron bushes, trees, branches etc.), or perhaps to other work on that site ? The images I was pointing to ( just those of Ans Westra ) seem to me very far from Photo Art - more documentary in feel and definitely not ` arty '. Some almost look to me like ` snaps ', they are so understated, and I know her basic philosophy has always been for the photographer to be as unobtrusive as possible. I don't myself warm to all her images, but many do seem entrancing, if in a very quiet way.
I'd be interested to hear more about your views - and to learn whether we do indeed have such a different sense of Westra's work.
Posted by Bill Fach on February 28, 2011 at 12:21 AM
Ian: My comments were limited to the particular portfolio of Ans. I was trying to be diplomatic by not calling them snaps but some did indeed strike me as such. The common denominator seems to be the square crop and to me uninteresting subject matter. I'm not sure how one attains the status of fine art photographer and maybe I'm just jealous of their commercial success but I suspect that some fine art photos are almost a spoof on us poor unsophisticates. Again, I'm pretty unsophisticated, I just like pretty pictures.
Posted by Ian Wolfenden on February 28, 2011 at 7:55 AM
Bill : thanks for the clarification - I guess we are not in fact a million miles apart !
I am sure you are right that the fine art galleries often trade on a big name - that would indeed be an interesting topic for the future. I don't know whether you already knew of her work, but Ans has never really been a fine art photographer at all - more an anthropological and museum-oriented one. The work for which she has been renowned since the 1960s is all documentary - people ( mostly Maori ) in the midst of daily life activities. In these more recent flower and landscape images she is surely treading a fine line between being boring and producing something worth looking at; I personally feel both to be the case. I also find it interesting how someone ( who is now in ` retirement ' - Ans is 75 I think ), has tried to bring into landscape and flower photography her documentary approach of capturing people as if they were not being observed - but maybe that's just me !
Well I've gone back and taken another look at the work. I still like the images. In particular, I like most of the compositions and the understated colors. I think part of it is just seeing something that's obviously intended differently than what I try to do. If I were buying images to collect, which I no longer do, I would consider a couple of these depending on the price. Now, having said that, several people on the gallery have images I'd buy first, including both of you. (smile)
Discussion
6 repliesHer images are very understated - slices of landscapes, trees or gardens usually without obvious compositional devices, and often, to me at least, strangely moving. She exhibits very large scale prints; a selection of her flower and landscape photos is shown currently at http://www.photoforum-nz.org/gallery/other portfolios.
Thanks for the post.
pat
When you say ` this kind of art ' and `some might work for Photo Art ' are you referring to Ans Westra's images ( the rhododendron bushes, trees, branches etc.), or perhaps to other work on that site ? The images I was pointing to ( just those of Ans Westra ) seem to me very far from Photo Art - more documentary in feel and definitely not ` arty '. Some almost look to me like ` snaps ', they are so understated, and I know her basic philosophy has always been for the photographer to be as unobtrusive as possible. I don't myself warm to all her images, but many do seem entrancing, if in a very quiet way.
I'd be interested to hear more about your views - and to learn whether we do indeed have such a different sense of Westra's work.
I am sure you are right that the fine art galleries often trade on a big name - that would indeed be an interesting topic for the future. I don't know whether you already knew of her work, but Ans has never really been a fine art photographer at all - more an anthropological and museum-oriented one. The work for which she has been renowned since the 1960s is all documentary - people ( mostly Maori ) in the midst of daily life activities. In these more recent flower and landscape images she is surely treading a fine line between being boring and producing something worth looking at; I personally feel both to be the case. I also find it interesting how someone ( who is now in ` retirement ' - Ans is 75 I think ), has tried to bring into landscape and flower photography her documentary approach of capturing people as if they were not being observed - but maybe that's just me !
Well I've gone back and taken another look at the work. I still like the images. In particular, I like most of the compositions and the understated colors. I think part of it is just seeing something that's obviously intended differently than what I try to do. If I were buying images to collect, which I no longer do, I would consider a couple of these depending on the price. Now, having said that, several people on the gallery have images I'd buy first, including both of you. (smile)
pat