Discuss a... photo? by... whom?

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Here's a fun one for you guys: Gjon Mili took a picture of Picasso in which he painted with light the image of a centaur. So, do you think this is a photo by Gjon Mili, or a drawing by Picasso?

[Lopaka]

So, can it be both?

Bob

[michaelsalomon]

either way, I'd say its a great photo of a painting made with light and the guy who painted it.

[copake_ham]

If I understand your phraseolgy; Mili took the photo and then Picasso light-painted the Centaur. Is this correct?

If so, it is a collaborative effort and a composite photograph.

[jstraw]

I looked at the photo and assumed that Picasso painted it in the dark and a flash illuminated him from the upper left at the end of the painting.

[Ray Heath]

g'day Michel

great question

without the photograher there would be no image and no record of Picasso's work, so if the cetaur was not recorded is it art?

the resulting photograpgh is a piece of visual art, would it have been as good without the Picasso drawing? it would still exist but thr centaur drawing wouldn't

so, i must consider it a photograph by Gjon Mili with some input by Picasso

[catem]

I'd call it a photographic collaboration. Or something. It seems different from the more common photo - interpretive or not - of an art piece because it is to do with an ephemeral event, a bit like performance art. Whatever it is, it's great, and new to me - thanks for posting.

[SuzanneR]

I've always loved this one. I think it was in Life magazine, no? Photograph by Mili, light drawing by Picasso. Best of both worlds!

[Jim Chinn]

I would consider it a photograph by Mili because I assume that the idea of Picasso painting with light was his idea. While Picasso did the drawing, it would not have been possible without Mili.

But either way, it's a great idea for a portrait. I don't know the date of the image but probably late 50s early 60s. The idea of using light in such a way in an image was probably new and quite fascinating to the non-photographers who saw the mage.

[Bill Mitchell]

Just a couple of sad words about Gjon Mili for those who are too young to remember him. Post WW2 he was considered one of the great innovators in the use of light and motion. He had a large commercial studio in NYC which burned down with all his stored negatives, and then he was hit by a taxi and suffered brain damage. I don't believe that he ever recovered enough to work again, and was pretty much disabled physically, mentally, and financially by the time he passed away. This is certainly an extraordinary photograph.