Love this post. Reminds me of my early visits to the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain), trying to understand what I was seeing and feeling, touched on such a profound level but not able to find the words to explain why or what was happening. I am happy that Robert reminds us of listening for the essence of things... so easy to loose touch with all the noise around us these days. Thank you!
As a mere Photographer’sassistant in the early 1980s, I would stand in awe listening to the pronouncements Mr Golden would make during AFAEP events. His food photos were always inspiring as well and latterly, iI have come to this Substack eagerly with every edition. I would, very much , like to thank him for all of his, unknowing, inspiration.
I always look forward so much to your posts Robert. They make me think deeply about why any of us create art. You have a marvellous way of encouraging me to consider more critically the way I view art and the ways I sometimes take it for granted. The art of seeing into the soul of things. Beautiful. The only other writer who has really done this for me is John Berger. Thank you. .
Robert is a wonder at weaving his life, his reflections on art and his way of seeing in these essays; he lives art's meaning which is sometimes a joy for him but often hard to do.
Dear Gareth...I have a sense we never actually met. Thank you for your comments, very generous.
Dear Patrick…first, thank you for writing to me in such a supportive way.It is appreciated.
Second, i have had a handful of mentors I have only read and studied but never met.
Central to the non photographers are Albert Camus and John Berger.
Both of them, but in particular Berger was and still is central to how I see and in part, to how I write.
It is not exactly a direct route from his writing to mine, but a sense which invokes for me
the desire to help others come to culture as a way of finding kindness, critical thinking, beauty and
thereby being humanised, turning away from violence, fascism, hatred.
Still, it is not perfect in that we know the Nazi’s were able to embrace some art like Wagner and Beethoven (once his
lyrics were re-writen by a non-Jew).
Are you an artist? And if so, what do you do?
robert
Love this post. Reminds me of my early visits to the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain), trying to understand what I was seeing and feeling, touched on such a profound level but not able to find the words to explain why or what was happening. I am happy that Robert reminds us of listening for the essence of things... so easy to loose touch with all the noise around us these days. Thank you!
A big thank you, Robert.
As a mere Photographer’sassistant in the early 1980s, I would stand in awe listening to the pronouncements Mr Golden would make during AFAEP events. His food photos were always inspiring as well and latterly, iI have come to this Substack eagerly with every edition. I would, very much , like to thank him for all of his, unknowing, inspiration.
I always look forward so much to your posts Robert. They make me think deeply about why any of us create art. You have a marvellous way of encouraging me to consider more critically the way I view art and the ways I sometimes take it for granted. The art of seeing into the soul of things. Beautiful. The only other writer who has really done this for me is John Berger. Thank you. .
Robert is a wonder at weaving his life, his reflections on art and his way of seeing in these essays; he lives art's meaning which is sometimes a joy for him but often hard to do.