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| Winograd, Woman with Ice Cream Cone, 1968 |
Clarke's conclusion is really no conclusion at all.
“...the photograph is, in the end, open to endless meanings.”
If you've been following along it’s really not so surprising. He finds portraiture ambiguous, the nude contentious, documentary misleading, urban photography unclassifiable. How could he possibly hope to finish except by asking the reader, perhaps with a wink, isn't photography mysterious, “a cabinet of infinite curiosities”?
Clarke is obviously well-read with an extensive grasp of photographic history. He relates some interesting ideas and through his examples shows how photographs can be read. Unfortunately he seems incapable of moderating his communication style in order to convey his ideas simply and clearly. I can understand what he writes. That is not my issue. The problem is is that his writing style seems to push the reader away, rather than invite him in. The reader is asked to deal with Clarke on his own academic terms. How much better this book could have been if Clarke had shown some concern for his audience.
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