Painting or Photography?

In a previous blog I mentioned how a photograph is more believable than a painting, but I’d like to go more into detail on their artistic side. My question is which one is better and more appreciated in the expressive world?

For me, it is a difficult question since I work on both mediums. Growing up I was always expressing myself in pencils and watercolour and as I got older, I found an interest in photography. I’ve always thought that painting and sketching needed more practice and that it’s more of a talent than anything else. Now that I’ve started my studies in photography, I’ve changed my view on it. Not everyone is good at drawing but also not everyone has an eye for photography.

I stumbled on a blog that said “[t]he difference most often cited is that painters start with a blank canvas while photographers have to work with what they find” (gallerymoab.com, 2017). Just because photographers don’t have a blank canvas, doesn’t mean that they can’t still express themselves how they want. That is why I am now starting to appreciate photography more because you can express yourself with what you find and still turn it into something great.

In 2012 an art historian, Andrew Graham-Dixon went to a photography exhibition and had some very strong opinions about it. Graham-Dixon thinks that photography isn’t as strong as paintings and that it “lacks the depth and heft, the thinking sense of touch, that painting possesses.” Maybe I’ve grown too strong on the subject but I don’t agree with him. I can easily say I have seen photographs that have left me in shock or in wonders.

In conclusion, I think that there are powerful images that can contain such power. Whether it’s an artistic and self-expressive photograph or a photograph of a time in history. Both paintings and photographs have their way of being communicated to their audience to leave an impact.

The Burning Monk (Browne,1963)

 Information Reference:

Graham-Dixon, A. (2012). Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present, at National Gallery - Seven magazine review. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/9664358/Seduced-by-Art-Photography-Past-and-Present-at-National-Gallery-Seven-magazine-review.html [Accessed 12 Nov. 2019].

gallerymoab.com. (2017). Painting vs photography. [online] Available at: https://gallerymoab.com/blog/119053/painting-vs-photography [Accessed 12 Nov. 2019].

Image Reference:

Browne, M. (1963). The Burning Monk. [image] Available at: http://100photos.time.com/photos/malcolm-browne-burning-monk [Accessed 12 Nov. 2019].