Should Photography be Considered Fine Art?

Sherman, C. Untitle #225 Retrieved from http://www.cindysherman.com/art.shtml, Retrieved on January 9, 2011



Kruger, B. (1992). Untitled (“You are a Captive Audience”) Retrieved from http://www.geh.org/taschen/htmlsrc15/m199203790001_ful.html Retrieved on January 9, 2011


By: Anne Frances Clinton Ó 2011

Is photography art? This question is heavily debated amongst artists because of the boundaries of fine art and photography have blurred. The main objection seems to be that photography is done by a machine and that the user has nothing to do with it. However, when we look at the work of Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman, fine artists in their own right, we see how they have used photography as an alternative way to express themselves.


In order to be considered a fine artist, one must express themselves visually - so photography by definition would be considered fine art. For example, Barbara Kruger has used text over black and white photographs so she can highlight her message. She has addressed issues on feminism, consumerism and the like. In one of her two pieces entitled, You Are a Captive Audience (1992), her words are superimposed over a man placing a wedding ring on a woman’s finger. Kruger’s hidden feminist message of immobility of women within marriage becomes more obvious to the viewer. Kruger uses photographs as the canvas to showcase her ideas and not as a primary means to express herself. In this case, photographs are only another tool that is used.

On the other hand, Cindy Sherman uses photography as her primary media to carry a similar message. Her work often criticizes the concept that women are merely objects for men’s entertainment. This point is most evident in her series of photos with mannequins in sexually explicit positions. This series of photographs solidified Sherman’s place as a feminist. Unlike Kruger, Sherman’s art is the photograph, which she uses to get her message across.

Both artists use photographs in different ways to visually express their emotions, feelings and opinions. However, how they applied the technique is different. Kruger used the photograph as a backdrop for her art, as Sherman used it as her art. Both techniques seem to work. In the end, art is in the eye of the beholder and it all depends on who, where and how it is viewed.