Photography and Music: Ansel Adams meets Cage, Richter and Richards

Mikael PETTERSSON

Photography and Music: Ansel Adams meets Cage, Richter and Richards

Mikael PETTERSSON

Lingnan University

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

Abstract

Ansel Adams pointed to an analogy between photography and music, in particular to similarities between, on the one hand, negatives and prints in photography, and, on the other hand, scores and performances in classical music. Dawn M. Wilson uses her ‘multi-stage view’ of photography to (among other things) make the analogy more precise. She also invites others to expand on the analogy. In this piece I do so by, first, discussing darkness in photography and silence in music; and, second, covers or versions in music and in photography.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	83-98
Journal	Debates in Aesthetics
Volume	18
Issue number	2
Publication status	Published - Dec 2024

Bibliographical note

This paper benefitted from funding for a project on photography from Hong Kong’s Research Grants Council and was discussed at an online symposium organized by Claire Anscomb in January 2023; I am indebted to the symposiasts, in particular to Claire, and to Dawn Wilson, whose article on Adams was a ‘target article’ at the symposium. The paper was also presented at The Higher Seminar in Aesthetics at Uppsala and I am grateful for comments and suggestions from participants, in particular, Elisabeth Schellekens, Guy Dammann, Paisley Livingston, Jeremy Page, Axel Rudolphi, and Nick Wiltsher. Written comments from Ben Blumson, Raf De Clercq and Paisley Livingston on a draft of the paper, and email correspondence with Roy Sorensen, helped a lot. Thanks also to two anonymous referees for the journal.

Access to Document

https://debatesinaesthetics.org/debates-in-aesthetics-vol-18-no-2/#PETTERSSON

Cite this

@article{debaacd4783c492da2da049df438385b,

title = "Photography and Music: Ansel Adams meets Cage, Richter and Richards",

abstract = "Ansel Adams pointed to an analogy between photography and music, in particular to similarities between, on the one hand, negatives and prints in photography, and, on the other hand, scores and performances in classical music. Dawn M. Wilson uses her {\textquoteleft}multi-stage view{\textquoteright} of photography to (among other things) make the analogy more precise. She also invites others to expand on the analogy. In this piece I do so by, first, discussing darkness in photography and silence in music; and, second, covers or versions in music and in photography.",

author = "Mikael PETTERSSON",

note = "This paper benefitted from funding for a project on photography from Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s Research Grants Council and was discussed at an online symposium organized by Claire Anscomb in January 2023; I am indebted to the symposiasts, in particular to Claire, and to Dawn Wilson, whose article on Adams was a {\textquoteleft}target article{\textquoteright} at the symposium. The paper was also presented at The Higher Seminar in Aesthetics at Uppsala and I am grateful for comments and suggestions from participants, in particular, Elisabeth Schellekens, Guy Dammann, Paisley Livingston, Jeremy Page, Axel Rudolphi, and Nick Wiltsher. Written comments from Ben Blumson, Raf De Clercq and Paisley Livingston on a draft of the paper, and email correspondence with Roy Sorensen, helped a lot. Thanks also to two anonymous referees for the journal.",

year = "2024",

month = dec,

language = "English",

volume = "18",

pages = "83--98",

journal = "Debates in Aesthetics",

issn = "2514-6637",

publisher = "British Society of Aesthetics",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Photography and Music: Ansel Adams meets Cage, Richter and Richards

AU - PETTERSSON, Mikael

N1 - This paper benefitted from funding for a project on photography from Hong Kong’s Research Grants Council and was discussed at an online symposium organized by Claire Anscomb in January 2023; I am indebted to the symposiasts, in particular to Claire, and to Dawn Wilson, whose article on Adams was a ‘target article’ at the symposium. The paper was also presented at The Higher Seminar in Aesthetics at Uppsala and I am grateful for comments and suggestions from participants, in particular, Elisabeth Schellekens, Guy Dammann, Paisley Livingston, Jeremy Page, Axel Rudolphi, and Nick Wiltsher. Written comments from Ben Blumson, Raf De Clercq and Paisley Livingston on a draft of the paper, and email correspondence with Roy Sorensen, helped a lot. Thanks also to two anonymous referees for the journal.

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - Ansel Adams pointed to an analogy between photography and music, in particular to similarities between, on the one hand, negatives and prints in photography, and, on the other hand, scores and performances in classical music. Dawn M. Wilson uses her ‘multi-stage view’ of photography to (among other things) make the analogy more precise. She also invites others to expand on the analogy. In this piece I do so by, first, discussing darkness in photography and silence in music; and, second, covers or versions in music and in photography.

AB - Ansel Adams pointed to an analogy between photography and music, in particular to similarities between, on the one hand, negatives and prints in photography, and, on the other hand, scores and performances in classical music. Dawn M. Wilson uses her ‘multi-stage view’ of photography to (among other things) make the analogy more precise. She also invites others to expand on the analogy. In this piece I do so by, first, discussing darkness in photography and silence in music; and, second, covers or versions in music and in photography.

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

SN - 2514-6637

VL - 18

SP - 83

EP - 98

JO - Debates in Aesthetics

JF - Debates in Aesthetics

IS - 2

ER -

Photography and Music: Ansel Adams meets Cage, Richter and Richards

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this