Mistakes and Weimaraners

Henri Cartier-Bresson described photography as the "simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event." And so he gave us snapshots of life's fleeting prefect compositions: figures jumping over puddles and shadows kissing other shadows. On the other extreme is photographer William Wegman who deliberately...

By Amanda McCorquodale

October 21, 2010

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Henri Cartier-Bresson described photography as the "simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event." And so he gave us snapshots of life's fleeting prefect compositions: figures jumping over puddles and shadows kissing other shadows. On the other extreme is photographer William Wegman who deliberately spills milk on his floor so that his Weimaraners pose in his pictures. And although he places his dogs in humorous contexts and dresses them up as Cinderella and farmers, Wegman's work exists on a completely different plane than the ridiculous and hallmark-y Anne Gedes. By placing his canines in human contexts, Wegman makes the familiar uncomfortable and transforms the everyday into something odd. His photos are so well-respected they're housed in esteemed permanent collections such as the Smithsonian. This Thursday, he'll be in town for a lecture and book-signing event at UM's Lowe Art Museum.
Fri., Oct. 22, 7 p.m., 2010

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