Visual art like
literary art is under no obligation
to be anything other than artistic. Even photographs which appear to
be chemical or digital reflections of reality, are subject to
artistic priorities in their execution. The painter (or his patron)
chooses what and how to paint and the photographer selects what is
in and outside of the frame. The subjects whose image is taken may
behave differently in the knowledge that they are being painted or
photographed.
In societies where media is strictly controlled
censorship and propaganda images may be used to serve the political
interests of the state. Even photographs may be manipulated
(airbrushed) to remove current embarrassments from the past.
The value of the photograph is limited to the ocular, what can be
seen by the eye. The other four senses are ignored.
Air brushing has been done since since photography
was invented. See this interesting piece in
Spiegel online.
On photographs, the authority on film documentary
writes: 'This remarkable power of the photographic image cannot be
underestimated, even though it is subject to qualification because
• An image cannot tell everything we want to know about happened
• Images can be altered both during and after the fact by both
conventional and digital techniques
• A verifiable, authentic image does not necessarily guarantee the
validity of larger claims made about what the image represents or
means.' Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, p.42.
