Theearliestcontroversiesabouttherelationshipbetweenphotographyandartcenteredonwhetherphotograph’sfidelitytoappearancesanddependenceonamachineallowedittobeafineartasdistinctfrommerelyapracticalart.Throughoutthenineteenthcentury,thedefenceofphotographywasidenticalwiththestruggletoestablishitasafineart.Againstthechargethatphotographywasasoulless,mechanicalcopyingofreality,photographersassertedthatitwasinsteadaprivilegedwayofseeing,arevoltagainstcommonplacevision,andnolessworthyanartthanpainting.
Ironically,nowthatphotographyissecurelyestablishedasafineart,manyphotographersfinditpretentiousorirrelevanttolabelitassuch.Seriousphotographersvariouslyclaimtobefinding,recording,impartiallyobserving,witnessingevents,exploringthemselves-anythingbutmakingworksofart.Theyarenolongerwillingtodebatewhetherphotographyisorisnotafineart,excepttoproclaimthattheirownworkisnotinvolvedwithart.ItshowstheextenttowhichtheysimplytakeforgrantedtheconceptofartimposedbythetriumphofModernism:thebettertheart,themoresubversiveitisofthetraditionalaimsofart.
Photography,however,hasdevelopedalltheanxietiesandself-consciousnessofaclassicModernistart.Manyprofessionalsprivatelyhavebeguntoworrythatthepromotionofphotographyasanactivitysubversiveofthetraditionalpretensionsofarthasgonesofarthatthepublicwillforgetthatphotographyisadistinctiveandexaltedactivity-inshort,anart.