The Innovators

Bazin's view of photography/motion picture versus paintings was the most interesting part of the article for me. Bazin describes photography/motion picture's relationship with reality as a special obligation . I felt that Bazin said this with an heir of arrogance that expressed film's superiority in relating to reality. In my photography class we learned about how at first photography was used to imitate painting, smearing vasoline over the lenses to make photos look painterly. I think there is value in the manipulation and composition of film that can deny reality. I think there are elements in painting that document emotional aspects of reality better than film. Also, I don't like the way Bazin classifies film first as documentation of our reality, and then as art. Its like he second handedly just decided to put it in that category. Personally i think it's possible for the art to develop as the documentation occurs through an intentionality of shooting.