CONTEXT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH “WRONG”:

In 1967 John Baldessari exhibited his ‘wrong’ series. He uses a selection of photographic images anchored by text. The most famous of which titled ‘wrong’ shows an image with poor composition juxtaposed by the text ‘wrong’ bellow the photograph.

The irony of the word is what makes the image so appealing, just blatant judgement of the photograph. The message that Baldessari was trying to say in the image is why should we conform to conventional aspects of art or photograph, why does our work have to be judged? The interesting fact is that an idea cannot be wrong or right as it is executed as a personal response. John Baldessari once stated: “You don’t want anyone to say, ‘You can’t do that!’

 

Good art is often more about its context than how it looks. For example, does an acrylic painting of a common soup can (“Andy Warhol. Campbell’s”)  show more talent than the Mona Lisa? Probably not, but the concept behind the artwork and the social issues it addressed made it significant.

John Baldessari’s photograph titled “Wrong!” demonstrates that he was aware of the photography rules he was breaking. Unlike amateur photos that might not follow the right settings, Baldessari was a skilled photographer who intentionally challenged these rules. He understood composition and lighting but chose to go against them, showing his creativity.

Baldessari famously said: “I will not make any more boring art” (“John Baldassari”), which adds value to his work. He was pushing against traditional photography norms, while others may have stuck too closely to the rules, making their work less exciting. There is nothing wrong the picture because art isn’t about right or wrong. But if you were to look at it technically, it could be “wrong” because it is in black and white, unfocused and boring. This context helps us see why Baldessari’s photograph is more engaging and impactful. Without this background, people might misinterpret the art and think that they could take better photos than Baldessari.

 

 

Work Citied: Baldessari, John “Wrong” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 22nd August 2024. https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/648607/sections/lesson/344114/page/344116/edit, Accessed 22nd August 2024.

Andy Warhol. The Museum of Modern Art, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79809.

Bonjour Supermarché. “A Brief History of John Baldessari.” YouTube, 15 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU7V4GyEuXA.

—. “John Baldessari Explains His ‘Strange Mind.’” YouTube, 29 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_UWot6kqhg.