Fine Art Photography by Jeff Spivak

What makes my photography "fine art"? In the simplest terms, without trying to justify or argue for it, a picture is accepted as "fine art" if: 1) It meets the formal criteria for aesthetic quality, 2) has an impact on the viewer, and 3) requires substantial manual skill in execution. To go over these points in turn:

-In terms of aesthetics, Henry Ranken Poore's classic "Composition in Art", my Gideons' Bible for many years, will vouchsafe that every image I sign meets the academic standards for compositional and tonal unity.

-Achieving impact is a deliberate three-stage process designed to yield deeply resonant images. a) Affinity: image-making begins with establishing an entry point, a connection with the viewer, by selecting a subject the person can identify with through first-hand experience. Natural landmarks, visited and admired by millions, present such an opportunity. b) Essentialism: the subject must then be stripped of all variables, of everything accidental and temporary, until only its bare permanent essence remains. In the words of Antoine de Saint Exupery, "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

c) Abstraction: going one step beyond the physical essence to the point where the object begins to shed its material attributes, dissolving into a universal idea. As Barbara Hepworth explained it, "I felt the most intense pleasure in piercing the stone in order to make an abstract form and space; quite a different sensation from that of doing it for the purpose of realism." In sum, the impact of my images relies on taking something familiar, purifying it from everything superficial, and then rendering it semi-transparent just enough for the underlying fabric of the Universe to begin showing through. In the process, a familiar object takes on a stark, ethereal quality: you've seen it before, but now you SEE it for the first time.

-When it comes to physical execution, every image I produce is an original in which free-hand art, i.e., drawing, outlining, shading, and tinting in pencil, charcoal, and India ink, is superimposed over the substrate of 19th-century silver-platinum chemistry, itself handmade. Combining the charm, detail, and longevity of early photographic print with the expressive freedom of traditional artwork, my pieces forge for themselves a unique niche within the spectrum of fine art.