Small rant...

[johno]

Directed at posters in any of the photography groups...

Out of focus pictures are NOT automatically art.

Take a picture of your cat, dog, little sister, a mountain, a tree, a car, etc, etc, and it looks blurry???

Throw it away! Delete it, if digital!

Don't foist it on the viewing public and ask for commentary.
(I won't even go down the "and be nice" clause...)

Because the first comment will be "learn how the focus works on your camera"

{/rant}

Notes:

If you WANT it to out focus and it looks good, then it's ART.
If you got a cool effect, then it's found ART.

Posting a blurry pic and asking "why it's out of focus" is a valid question.

Comments

Re: On the other hand...

[wickedladybear.livejournal.com]

The difference then being between critque (meant to be helpful and give a genuine opinion) and critisism (meant to be mean and hurtful)? Thankfully, I've never heard Johno be any other than sweet. The idea is, frankly, universe rocking.

I don't like the overly saccarine "you're so goood, that's so artistic" syvophants either, but I do like praise for a hard effort and a reasonable effort made.

Ok, I fib a little, I do kinda like sycophants a wee bit, as long as I get the praise.

Is that so wrong?

Re: On the other hand...

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Alas, the distinction you make is incorrect.

Criticism, in an artistic context, doesn't refer to adverse comments, but instead to the analysis and interpretation of a work. This may include negative comments, but doesn't have to.

Critique can refer to either a critical work (such as a review or essay) or to the general art of criticism and critical thinking (but that's a more academic usage).

The OED points out that US usage often interchanges the two, but American dictionaries usually list this out as an incorrect usage of "critique." It's often driven by an adverse reaction to the word "criticism."

If one wishes to make one's art stronger, acceptance of criticism (even if just to disagree with it) is very important.

If one just wishes to masturbate... well, as Eric Idle put it in the Not Noel Coward Song, "don't take it out in public, or they'll put you in the dock, and you wont... come... back."