John Baldessari turns the concept of a wrong photograph on its head by illustrating a photograph that is wrong under the conventional standards. Like the palm tree growing out of the artist’s head or the high contrast blending the houses and trees together. These are some common mistakes in amateur photography. If the artist had left the photograph uncaptioned, Baldessari could be considered a poor amateur photographer. But with the caption “WRONG!,” he satirizes the photograph and criticizes what is considered right or wrong. Rather than “apologizing” for a poorly composed photograph, Baldessari acts as if he is illustrating poor composition and mocks the approach or authority of the rules of composition. Baldessari is known to have purposely cited the amateur photography manuals, and in doing so he raised the question of whose voice is to judge the value of the photograph and, more importantly, why the value of the photograph is determined by the level of technical correctness rather than by the ideas that the photograph presents. When context is applied to the photograph, the appreciation is altered. With the given context, the “bad” composition becomes justified, and the true meaning beneath the surface is revealed. Baldessari himself explained how he was interested in the components of an image that could be ‘wrong’, according to the rules, yet still be ‘right’ as art. This kind of thinking is ironic, playful, and critically reflective. A photograph, in this case, does not have to be technically accomplished to hold value. Thus, the photograph’s context is most important, as the photographer’s rationale and concept are behind the image.

Baldessari, John. Wrong! 1967. Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
collections.lacma.org/node/237769. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

“Wrong! (1967) by John Baldessari.” Artchive,
www.artchive.com/artwork/wrong-john-baldessari-1967/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

“John Baldessari:Wrong.” Noah’s GCSE Photography, 2024, noahsgcsephotographysite.weebly.com/john-baldessariwrong.html.