Evolving art forms, one click at a time

The other day, my roommate and I were having a debate that has been present since the 1800s: Is photography good or evil?\nHis argument was that photography is merely a way for people (especially Facebook addicts) to permanently settle themselves into time, never changing, never growing. A lot of people felt this way when the first Daguerreotype photographs were taken in 1837 by the artist for whom they were named, Louis Daguerre.\nDaguerre set up his lights and objects in front of his camera in his studio, and at the time, he was only capable of creating still life pictures. This was because his fastest shutter speed was 50 minutes. That was the amount of time it took for him to create an image that was a true replication of what was in front of him, point for point.\nWhen others such as Nicéphore Niépce and Hercules Florence were using the same medium, the general opinion was that this was not a legitimate form of art. The public’s argument was that this form of creating images had no personality behind it, that it was done instantly and without connection to the subject matter. Journey down the road with Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe, and the general idea about photography has changed.\nBut this wasn’t the first stab at the artist’s credibility. It wasn’t until Diego Velásquez painted “Las Meninas” that painters weren’t viewed as mere craftsmen. When Édouard Manet painted “Le déjeuner sur l’herbe” in 1863, it was rejected from the Paris Salon because he had created art for art’s sake for the first time. Now, this painting is revered for its milestone achievement in the art world.\nAs the times change, so does art, and the evolution of art forms is constant. In the 21st century alone, performance art has become something entirely different from what it was in the heyday of Broadway. Now, you can see poetry readings, play workshops, environmental theaters and what is generally the term for experimental and often outspoken productions, “performance pieces.”\nWhile I love paintings, sculptures and photographs, I am ready for a new medium of art to take the world by storm. I am ready to gasp in an unfazed society. So, if any of you have a new idea you’ve been keeping, let it out. It could be the next interchange on the art world’s everlasting highway system.\nMy argument for why photography isn’t evil is that it captures this transition. Action shots capture the world at its fundamental action – being. And when the time comes that this new style of art takes its baton, it will still be there to capture our excitement. Keep on clicking.