Guy Tal | Photographer, Author
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To say yes to the world, to reproduce it, is simultaneously to re-create the world and oneself, to become the great artist, the creator. —Albert Camus Note 1: If you have not already done so, please take a moment to read and consider my Read This First page before proceeding to the essay below. The... Continue Reading →
I am amazed that some people can be so lacking in anxiety as to imagine that they have grasped the truth of their art on the first try. —Henri Matisse In his 1844 work, The Concept of Anxiety, Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” (In some translations, the word “dread”... Continue Reading →
Whether art and beauty can really make man better and stronger is an open question; but one thing is certain: that like the starry firmament they remind us of light, of order and harmony, and of “meaning” amid chaos. —Hermann Hesse Previous installments in this series: Remembering the Future — Part I: Introduction Remembering the... Continue Reading →
The nihilist is right in thinking that the world possesses no justification and that he himself is nothing. But he forgets that it is up to him to justify the world and to make himself exist validly. — Simone de Beauvoir Tell people you are interested in philosophy and soon enough one of them will... Continue Reading →
How can you expect a beholder to experience my picture as I experienced it? A picture comes to me a long time beforehand; who knows how long a time beforehand, I sensed, saw, and painted it and yet the next day even I do not understand what I have done. How can anyone penetrate my... Continue Reading →
I recently had the great pleasure of joining my friend and workshop co-instructor, Michael Gordon, on a couple of events now available online for anyone to watch/listen: Our presentation Finding Meaning in Photography, hosted by Harold Davis, is now available for streaming on Harold's YouTube channel. Our conversation about The History of Photography via the podcast, F-Stop... Continue Reading →