The values that reside in art are anarchic, they are every man's loves and hates and his momentary divine revelation. Ben Shahn More Quotes by Ben Shahn More Quotes From Ben Shahn I feel, having the choices I had, I felt I had more control over my own medium than I did over photography. Ben Shahn mediums photography choices Each artist comes to the painting or sculpture because there he can be told that he, the individual, transcends all classes and flouts all predictions. In the work of art, he finds his uniqueness confirmed. Ben Shahn sculpture class art Paint what you are, paint what you believe, paint what you feel. Ben Shahn paint feels believe A work of art rests its merits in traditional qualities. It may constitute a remarkable feat in craftsmanship; it may be a searching study of psychological states; it may be a nostalgic glance backward; it may be any one of an infinite number of concepts, none of which may have any possible bearing upon its degree of newness. Ben Shahn quality numbers art I became interested in photography when I found my own sketching was inadequate. Ben Shahn own sketching my-own photography It's pretty hard to measure influence of written or visual material. Ben Shahn measure pretty hard influence An amateur is someone who supports himself with outside jobs which enable him to paint. A professional is someone whose wife works to enable him to paint. Ben Shahn professional someone paint wife It used to be twelve people crowded around a sewing table; now it's ten. Ben Shahn table now sewing people When a man returned from the field and we'd look at the work, we'd criticize each other very genuinely and never offensively. And we would avoid all tricks, angle shots were just horrible to us. Ben Shahn never look man work Whatever I get involved in, I'm totally involved, you see. Ben Shahn whatever get see you Some time ago, we went to Asia and took a camera along, and I began to do what I'd done even years ago doing people. I couldn't get interested in it. And I did hundreds of photographs of details of the monuments as sculpture. Ben Shahn monuments camera time people So, I was offered this job to come down there but first it was suggested that I take a trip around the country in the areas in which we worked to see what it's all about, and I tell you that was a revelation to me. Ben Shahn down job me you Roy was just another bureaucrat to me, but I realized very soon that without Roy this thing would have died. Ben Shahn soon without just me It's a little bit like my inability to read a guide book before I go anywhere. I can read it after I've been there and by the same logic I refuse to accept any technical stunts from anybody. I refused to learn more than I knew and I confess I missed a great deal. Ben Shahn accept great i-can book In the South or in the mine country, wherever you point the camera there is a picture. Ben Shahn camera picture you country In '38, this time I did a job for Mr. Stryker. I went on his payroll at about half the salary I was getting before, to cover what he called Harvest in Ohio. Ben Shahn job salary harvest time I've been asked a great deal about the influence I've had with my work and it's impossible to say, you know. Ben Shahn great you impossible work I was so impressed with the work we were doing and I was very involved ideologically in photography - that I arranged an exhibition at the College Art Association. The first exhibition I picked the photographs and so on and we had an exhibition in New York. Ben Shahn new college work art I still love to look at photographs but I couldn't do it myself anymore. Ben Shahn still myself look love I remember traveling around in Arkansas with Senator Robinson, and I told him what this little trick was. He felt very much part of it and had me take pictures of people unbeknownst to them. Ben Shahn pictures me remember people
