1.) I’ve been looking forward to reading Susan Sontag’s Unborn (her journals from 1947 to 1960-something) for a while now. I checked it out from the library, but thought I should read something else by her first (for no real reason)…
2.) So I was going to read In America, because I already have it, but then when I was at the MCA Denver’s library, I noticed that several artists’ shelves contained her book, Regarding the Pain of Others, and decided to start there instead.
3.) Regarding the Pain of Others talks about photography, and this idea we have that photographs are true to life. We “take” photographs and “make” paintings, right? And we feel cheated when we find out a photograph is staged, as many of them are…
4.) Like this one:
5.) Which was mentioned on Goodbye, Blue Monday (the blog that is responsible for oh-so-many synchronicities of late), and according to Ms. Sontag, involved two actors and an afternoon.
6.) No, I’m not trying to sabotage your Valentine’s Day.
7.) I finished Regarding the Pain of Others last night, just a few hours after a friend sent an e-mail, not knowing I was reading some Susan Sontag already, recommending this really great book: Reborn.
1 Comment
February 16, 2009 at 10:24 am
I love discovering that photos have been staged!