Light and Lens

Chapter 1

Why We Make Pictures: A Concise History of Visual Ideas

The human desire to make pictures is deep-rooted. Forty thousand years ago, Cro-Magnon people made paintings of large wild animals, tracings of human hands, as well as abstract patterns on cave and rock walls. Now, instead of colored oxide and charcoal, people can use a camera. What propels this picture-making impulse?

The fundamental motive for the vast majority of picture making is the impulse to preserve — to document and therefore commemorate specific people and events of importance. Artists use images expressionistically to articulate and conceptualize who they are and what they think of the world. Others make pictures for commercial reasons, while some create informational ...