(image via theobserver)
Legendary photographer Annie Liebovitz -- if indeed photography even has the ability to confer legendary status -- has once again stumbled into the culture wars, fully aware of the consequences. Photography is, in a sense, the perfect battleground for this next stage of the stale 60's Boomers-versus-Conservatives rhetorical field of play. In other words, this is the same kind of Spoiled-Brat-versus-Intractable-Father gamesmanship that Obama is trying to exorcise from the culture. For one, photography is all about (oftentimes) thimble-deep surfaces. Also, minimal creativity -- compared to, say, such visual mediums as film and painting -- is needed to produce a ... "work." Last but not least (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), shallow pseudoBuddhist celebrities like Richard Gere adore it and extol the virtues. The great Ansel Adams notwithstanding, we could never quite got into the whole "Photography-as-Great-Art" argument. Then again, with regards to aesthetics, we are more philosophically oriented towards things Ancient.
And in the corner to our Right, we have the Conservatives. Instead of making the obvious intellectual argument that most "Photography-as-Art" is really pretty shitty, relying mostly on shock (!), or other surfacy postmodern aesthetic strategies (as opposed to Methods, Techniques or Schools), shoot themselves in the foot by playing the morals police. Why-can't-they-do-Art-like Rockwell-anymore, type arguments. Giuliani's aesthetically illiterate defense of the "Cow Parade" as superlative form of civic art show the poverty of his button-down mind.
Enter: Miley Cyrus. The 15-year old singer, who plays strongly to an innocent demographic, and who posed for some Vanity Fair pics for Liebovitz.
From The AP:
"Miley Cyrus is taking issue with a photo of herself that's going around, and it's not another amateur, truth-or-dare Internet snapshot — it's the handiwork of Annie Leibovitz.
'''I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,' Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist. 'I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.'
The photos, appearing in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, were taken by Leibovitz, a renowned celebrity photographer whose edgy, silver-toned portraits have included subjects such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and a naked, pregnant Demi Moore."
A pregnant Demi Moore! Naked! We are shocked -- shocked! -- that that modern Picasso, that modern Sofanisba Anguissola would resort to such cheap theatrics.
Seriously, though: Of course Liebovitz resorted to cheap, cheap shock. That's all the photographer has. No game whatsoever. For further reference: see Liebovitz' dumb-ass photo spread of LeBron James, also relying on her favorite and only trick up the sleeve.
Vanity Fair, of course, psyched at the attention and online conversation, stands by their Annie. Charmed, I'm sure (Averted Gaze). Somewhere Ansel Adams is shedding photogenic tears.
Hmmm ... Gawker seems to have penned a similar post-rant, hours after we posted this one. Hmm.
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