misunderstandings (a theory of photography) / mel bochner. 1970

gammm.org/2025/05/08/misunders…

#melbochner #gammm

I wrote a remembrance of Mel Bochner, a mentor from grad school whose art exposed the cracks between words and reality. His 1970 dictum “language is not transparent” feels prophetic now that we use black boxes to churn out news, legal documents, and medical advice. He died Wednesday.

https://blog.still-water.net/mel-bochner-and-the-bridge-from-words-to-worlds

#MelBochner #ArtHistory #ConceptualArt #GenAI #Language

What do you suppose could have resulted in Mel Bochner writing "Happily there seems to be little or no connection between art and mathematics." ? Oh, the next sentence explains it: "When numbers are used it is generally as a convenient regulating device, a logic external to both the time and place of application." It seems he thought mathematics = numbers. Oh, dear. [quotes from "Minimal art: a critical anthology" by Gregory Battcock, page 101].

I ran across this when trying to get a handle on what "serial art" is. I'd like to improve the wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_art It is rather abysmal (with a "citation needed" on the first sentence!).
#art #serialArt #MelBochner