Renowned photographer Sally Mann has released a new book titled "Art Work: On the Creative Life" through Abrams publishing, offering readers an intimate look into her artistic process and creative methodology. The book serves as a follow-up to her bestselling 2015 memoir "Hold Still," which brought readers into close contact with her family life and the rural Virginia landscape that has profoundly shaped her work as an artist and photographer.
In her latest publication, Mann takes readers deeper into the mechanics of her creative work, exploring what she describes as the "strange juxtapositions of intellectual rigor and luck" that define her artistic practice. The book opens with characteristic directness: "This is a book about how to get shit done," establishing the practical, no-nonsense approach Mann brings to discussing the creative process.
Speaking from her Lexington, Virginia farm via Zoom, Mann discussed the parallels between her photographic and writing practices with Vogue's Dodie Kazanjian. She explained that while she employs the same mechanisms and discernment for both mediums, photography presents unique challenges. "Photography is just a little more seductive," Mann noted. "If you have an array of pictures, each one of them has a certain allure and a certain sense of rightness to it. But with writing, there really is almost always just one word - the perfect word."
The photographer revealed significant changes in her personal life that have affected her artistic practice. After thirty years of intensive horseback riding, Mann stopped the activity several years ago, not because of a fall as many assumed, but out of concern for potential injury. "I just can't afford to get hurt," she explained, noting her responsibilities in maintaining her property and daily tasks. The decision to stop riding cold turkey, selling all her equipment except for an old pair of riding pants, actually freed up time and energy for her dual passions of photography and writing.
Mann's connection to place remains central to her artistic identity. She describes herself as "shackled to my place in an almost pathological way," referring not just to her 800-acre farm but to Virginia, the South, and the entire regional culture. This geographic fixation, while potentially limiting her career opportunities compared to artists who relocated to New York, has provided rich subject matter that she considers exotic to many viewers. "It's a foreign country for most people, so it's exotic in that way, and it offers a lot of inspiration," she observed.
The book delves into Mann's philosophy of editorial rigor, which she considers crucial to artistic integrity. She believes artists should curate their own work rather than leaving it to history to sort through. "You can make all the art you want, but if you dilute it by putting out a bunch of crappy art, it'll take history forever to sort through it all and find the little gems," she stated. "Better that you sort through it."
Mann's workspace, visible during the interview, reflects her multifaceted interests and family connections. She pointed out works by Joel-Peter Witkin and a painting by her father inspired by William Blake's "Tyger Tyger," noting that her house is filled with her father's paintings that "showed up like sea glass" after his death. These Klee and Kandinsky-inspired works demonstrate the artistic heritage that runs through her family.
The photographer's relationship with legendary artist Cy Twombly features prominently in her reflections. She learned valuable lessons from observing his career trajectory, particularly his resilience in the face of harsh criticism and his eventual renaissance in later years. Mann remembered Twombly as an old-school Southern gentleman with "that little twinkle in his eye" who could be "a little foxy and canny" with "a really wry sense of humor."
Currently, Mann is exploring new territory with digital color photography, a significant departure from her traditional film work. Leica provided her with a digital camera that accommodates her 1946 lens, which she describes as having "lots of anomalies" that handle light differently than modern lenses. This technological shift offers new creative freedom, particularly the economic advantage of not paying $12 per sheet for film.
Despite giving up riding, Mann maintains a rigorous fitness regimen that includes rowing twice a week, lifting heavy weights three times a week, and running three miles on her property trails twice weekly. Her farm currently hosts ten rare Akhal-Teke horses, part of a breeding operation that relocated to her property, representing a significant portion of the roughly 200 such horses in America.
Reflecting on the transition away from riding, Mann described it as "like a snake shedding its skin" rather than a painful loss. She views this as part of the natural process of aging: "This is our future - we're going to lose more and more things. Let's just hold on to what we have." The book "Art Work: On the Creative Life" is now available, offering readers insight into the practical and philosophical aspects of Mann's distinguished career in photography and writing.
