Just because you can…doesn’t mean you should
I had a conversation yesterday with an accomplished painter I’m working with about size. In their practice, they start with a small drawing that often leads to a small painting and then sometimes to a larger painting. As you can imagine, the drawing takes less time (a week), the smaller painting more time (a few months), and the larger painting the most time (often over a year). Their working method is to eventually complete all three versions of the composition. The argument being that with each incarnation, something new is discovered for them.
But what about the viewer? Is something new discovered for them? Or, is the larger painting just a larger painting?
I will not mess with an artist’s process. As creators, we all have idiosyncratic ways of working that may not be logical to the onlooker, but they make perfect sense to us. These devices and rituals are essential to our way of working.
But…the time we have is precious. This artist was concerned that they were spending too much time completing all three versions and not enough time choosing which ones (the drawings) would be worth translating into a painting or paintings.
As photographers, we are more fortunate. Making larger prints can be easy as long as we can access a printer and some large paper. But…should we make larger prints just because we can?
Much like my advice to the painter, I will tell you that every image has an ideal expression size. This is true as it relates to the subject and the impact you would like the photograph to have on the viewer.
For many years, photographers were victims of the limitations that manufacturers gave to them. Pre-cut paper came out of a box at a specific size, while the processing of that paper, whether black and white or color, also had its limitations. Now, we can do as we wish.
Should you have two (or more!) sizes for each image? Maybe. I am a big believer in having one size for each image, the one that will best describe its subject AND the impact you intend it to have on the viewer. Not all photographs in an exhibition or series need to be the same size.
On-screen, all images look to be on a 1:1 scale with one another (unless we have an installation view). Sure, we can read the dimensions, but it’s not until we see these photographs in person can we tell whether they are working at their scale.
Don’t work within the confines of the way paper comes in a box or some false belief that all prints in the series need to be the same size because you bought the same frame/portfolio and you want them all to fit.
Choose wisely.
Michael Foley opened his gallery in the fall of 2004 after fourteen years of working with notable photography galleries, including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery.
In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the School of Visual Arts and International Center of Photography faculty. He currently teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In 2020, he founded The Photo Community, which offers classes and commentary on contemporary photography.
Foley lives and works on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.